Kim Thatcher (born 1964) is an American politician serving as member of the
Oregon State Senate
The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the state Sena ...
from the
13th district, which is currently assembled for the
81st legislative session. She previously served as a member of 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 ...
for the
25th district from 2005 to 2015. She is a resident of
Keizer.
Early life and education
Thatcher was born in
Pocatello, Idaho
Pocatello () is the county seat of and largest city in Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the ...
in 1964 and attended
Portland State University
Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the following two decades ...
.
Career
Thatcher was first elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 2004, representing the
Keizer area. Early in her career, as the owner of the highway construction firm KT Contracting, became known for her criticisms of the
Oregon Department of Transportation
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is a department of the state government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for systems of transportation. It was first established in 1969. It had been preceded by the Oregon State Highway Depar ...
. In May 2005, Thatcher successfully sponsored a bill to limit public access to information about
concealed handgun license
Concealed carry, or carrying a concealed weapon (CCW), is the practice of carrying a weapon (such as a handgun) in public in a concealed manner, either on one's person or in close proximity. CCW is often practiced as a means of self-defense. Every ...
. She was reelected in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012. In 2014, Thatcher chose to run for a seat in the Oregon Senate, held by the retiring
Larry George
Larry George (born c. 1968) is an American politician and businessman in Oregon. He was a Republican member of the Oregon State Senate representing District 13 from 2007 to 2015. Before his election, he was the leader of the political group Orego ...
, rather than seek re-election to her house seat.
During Thatcher's 2014 campaign for state senator, she earned the endorsement of ''
The Oregonian
''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...
'' on October 9, 2014; she ultimately won the election. However, of ''The Oregonian'' had revoked the endorsement the day after giving it due to newly released reports showing companies she owned had lied about expenses submitted to ODOT for repayment, and then was found destroying evidence when records were requested in court proceedings. The rulings ended with a $60,000 court costs, and an assessment stating that while the company had willfully destroyed evidence, the resources needed to successfully prosecute a criminal case would require more than could be justified as an appropriate use. Thatcher was a delegate to the
2016 Republican National Convention
The 2016 Republican National Convention, in which delegates of the United States Republican Party chose the party's nominees for president and vice president in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, was held July 18–21, 2016, at Quicken Lo ...
, where she cast her vote for
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
as the nominee. While she initially supported
Ted Cruz
Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz served as Solicitor General of Texas from ...
, she ended the convention supporting Trump for president stating: "I can honestly say I feel less uncomfortable with Trump."
Legislation
During the
79th Oregon Legislative Assembly, Thatcher served on the Transparency Advisory Commission. She was also a member of the General Government and Accountability Committee. During the current
81st Oregon Legislative Assembly
The 81st Oregon Legislative Assembly was the most recent legislative session of the Oregon Legislative Assembly which convened on January 11, 2021 and adjourned June 26th. Its even-year short session of 35 days convened on February 1, 2022 and ad ...
, she serves on the Judiciary Committee.
Thatcher was one of several cosponsors of legislation in 2009 to establish an Oregon's first transparency website; the measure passed the Senate unanimously and was signed into law by then-Governor
Ted Kulongoski
Theodore Ralph Kulongoski ( ; born November 5, 1940) is an American politician, judge, and lawyer who served as the 36th Governor of Oregon from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative As ...
. Thatcher was a chief sponsor of legislation signed into law in 2011 that expanded Oregon's transparency web site to include economic development tax incentives, and in 2013 was a sponsor of legislation that required the state transparency website to post additional materials, such as minutes or summaries of public meetings, additional state contracts, and information on tax expenditures under Oregon Low Income Community Jobs Initiatives. Thatcher was the sponsor of subsequent successful legislation in 2015 and 2017 that expanded the material on the state transparency website.
In 2017, Thatcher introduced a bill that would have required public universities and community colleges in Oregon to expel students convicted of rioting.
Thatcher introduced similar legislation in 2011.
Thatcher participated in the
2019 Oregon Senate Republican walkouts
A series of Oregon Republican State Senator walkouts began in May 2019 when Republican members of the Oregon State Senate refused to attend floor sessions of the Oregon Senate in an effort to stymie Democratic efforts to pass House Bill 3427. Pro ...
.
On December 11, 2020, Thatcher and 11 other state Republican officials signed a letter requesting Oregon Attorney General
Ellen Rosenblum
Ellen F. Rosenblum (born January 6, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the Oregon Attorney General since 2012. She is the first female state attorney general in Oregon's history, and previously was a judge on the Oregon ...
join Texas and other states contesting the results of the
2020 presidential election
This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
January
*5 January:
**C ...
in ''
Texas v. Pennsylvania
''Texas v. Pennsylvania'', 592 U.S. ___ (2020), was a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the administration of the 2020 presidential election in certain states, in which Joe Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump.
Fil ...
''. Rosenblum announced she had filed in behalf of the defense, and against Texas, the day prior.
Thatcher has cast doubt on the validity of the
2020 United States presidential election
The 2020 United States presidential election was the 59th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and the junior U.S. senator from California Kamala Ha ...
results. Thatcher has falsely claimed that the
Arizona audit showed evidence of fraud and has declined to state whether Joe Biden won the 2020 election.
In October 2021, Thatcher signed a letter along with other Republican politicians calling for an audit of the 2020 election in all states and the elimination of voter rolls in every state.
2020 secretary of state campaign
On February 10, 2020, Thatcher announced her campaign for the office of
Oregon secretary of state
The secretary of state of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in line of succession to the governor. The duties of the office are auditor of public accounts, ch ...
in the
2020 general election
The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2020. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems maintains a comprehensive list of upcoming elections on its E-Guide Platform. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calend ...
. She defeated Dave Stauffer to become the Republican Party nominee on May 19, 2020, but lost (43.2%) to Democrat
Shemia Fagan
Shemia Patricia Fagan (born September 20, 1981) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Oregon secretary of state. She previously served as a Democratic member of the Oregon Senate, representing Senate District 24 from in 2019 to 20 ...
(50.3%).
References
External links
Oregon House websiteCampaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thatcher, Kim
1964 births
21st-century American politicians
21st-century American women politicians
Living people
Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives
Republican Party Oregon state senators
People from Keizer, Oregon
Women state legislators in Oregon