Tina Kotek
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tina Kotek is an American politician from the state of Oregon. A Democrat, she serves as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives.
In 2006, she was elected to the House from the 44th District in North and Northeast Portland. She won a competitive three-way Democratic primary election with over half the vote. In the general election, she faced only nominal Republican opposition, defeating her opponent by a margin of almost four-to-one. In 2004, she had been an unsuccessful candidate for the neighbouring 43rd House District.
Born and raised in York, Pennsylvania, Kotek moved to Oregon in 1987, taking her undergraduate degree in religious studies at the University of Oregon. She then went on to graduate study at the University of Washington, gaining a master’s degree in international studies.
Kotek works as the Policy Director of Children First for Oregon, prior to which she was a Public Policy Advocate for Oregon Food Bank. She co-chaired the Human Services Coalition of Oregon during the 2002 budget crisis and currently serves as the co-chair of the Governor’s Medicaid Advisory Committee.
Kotek, a lesbian, is the only (but not the first) openly gay member of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. Her election campaigns have won the support of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, which provides financial and strategic assistance.
