Christina Erin Stephenson is an American attorney and politician from

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. She currently serves as the

Oregon Commissioner of Labor The Oregon Commissioner of Labor is an elected government position in the U.S. state of Oregon. The commissioner is the chief executive of Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) is an agency in the ...

. She previously ran as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

for a seat in the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of the ...

Early life and career

Stephenson was born and raised in

Washington County, Oregon Washington County is one of 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon and part of the Portland metropolitan area. The 2020 census recorded the population as 600,372, making it the second most populous county in the state and most populous "Wash ...

. She graduated from Hillsboro High School. She earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

from

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...

in international politics in 2005 and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the

University of Oregon School of Law The University of Oregon School of Law is a public law school in the U.S. state of Oregon. Housed in the Knight Law Center, it is Oregon's only state funded law school. The school, founded in 1884, is located on the University of Oregon campus in ...

in 2009. She joined the

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...

Meyer Stephenson and became a

partner Partner, Partners, The Partner, or, The Partners may refer to: Books * ''The Partner'' (Grisham novel), by John Grisham, 1997 * ''The Partner'' (Jenaro Prieto novel), 1928 * ''The Partners'' (book), a 1983 book by James B. Stewart * ''Partner'' (m ...

Political career

In the 2020 elections, Stephenson ran for the open seat in the 33rd district of the

. She lost in the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

primary election to

Maxine Dexter Maxine Dexter (born December 5, 1972) is an American physician and politician serving as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives. She was appointed in June 2020 after the death of Mitch Greenlick. She represents the 33rd district, whic ...

. With

Val Hoyle Valerie Anne Hoyle (born February 14, 1964) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2023. Until 2023, she served as the commissioner of Oregon's Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) (commonly called the "Labor Co ...

not running for reelection, Stephenson ran for Oregon Labor Commissioner in the 2022 election. In the May

nonpartisan blanket primary A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for the same elected office run against each other at once, regardless of the political party. Partisan elections are, on the other hand, segregated by political party. ...

, she advanced to a runoff against

Cheri Helt Cheri Helt (born 1970/1971) is a restaurateur, an American politician and former Republican member of the Oregon House of Representatives who was elected on November 6, 2018, to replace Republican Knute Buehler who left his legislative seat to run ...

. She won in the November 8 general election.

Personal life

Stephenson's husband, Eric Wasik, is also an attorney. They have a son together.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephenson, Christina 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American women lawyers 21st-century American women politicians American University alumni Living people Oregon lawyers Women in Oregon politics University of Oregon School of Law alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Hillsboro High School (Oregon) alumni