Robert A. Wagner (born January 10, 1973) is an American Democratic politician currently serving as

Majority Leader In U.S. politics (as well as in some other countries utilizing the presidential system), the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.

of the Oregon State Senate. He represents the 19th district, which includes the cities of

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

Lake Oswego Lake Oswego () is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon, primarily in Clackamas County, with small portions extending into neighboring Multnomah and Washington counties. Located about south of Portland and surrounding the Oswego Lake, the town w ...

, Rivergrove, Tualatin, West Linn, parts of southwest

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

and Tigard, as well as unincorporated parts of southwestern

Clackamas County Clackamas County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 421,401, making it Oregon's third-most populous county. Its county seat is Oregon City. The county was named after the Native ...

, eastern Washington County, and southern

Multnomah County Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland–Vancouver– Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Th ...

Early life and education

Wagner grew up in Lake Oswego and graduated from

Lake Oswego High School Lake Oswego High School (LOHS) is a public high school in Lake Oswego, Oregon, United States. History Lake Oswego High School first opened in September 1951 as a six-year school, with an enrollment of 564. In 1956, it became a four-year high sch ...

. He studied at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the col ...

and graduated from

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 decad ...

with a degree in political science. He earned a masters in public policy from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...

Career

He served as a director of political and legislative affairs for the

American Federation of Teachers The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is the second largest teacher's labor union in America (the largest being the National Education Association). The union was founded in Chicago. John Dewey and Margaret Haley were founders. About 60 per ...

and was associate vice-president for advancement at

Portland Community College Portland Community College (PCC) is a public community college in Portland, Oregon. It is the largest post-secondary institution in the state and serves residents in the five-county area of Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, Clackamas, and Colum ...

, overseeing the foundation, marketing and public relations. In December 2017, Wagner announced he left Portland Community College.

School Board

In May 2017, Wagner ran unopposed and was elected to the Lake Oswego School Board. In July 2019, he was elected by the school board as its chair for a one-year term. In May 2020, he announced that he would resign from the school board on June 22, 2020, citing demands of work required by his new position as the majority leader of the

Oregon 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 ...

State Senate

In January 2018, Wagner was appointed to fill the vacancy in District 19 of the

created when Richard Devlin was appointed to the

Northwest Power and Conservation Council The Northwest Power and Conservation Council is a regional organization that develops and maintains a regional power plan and a fish and wildlife program to balance the Northwest's environment and energy needs. Based in Portland, Oregon, the Counci ...

. Wagner continued his service on the school board while in the Senate. In the

2018 Oregon legislative election The 2018 elections for the Oregon Legislative Assembly determined the composition of both houses for the 80th Oregon Legislative Assembly. The Republican and Democratic parties held primary elections on May 15, 2018 with general elections on N ...

, he defeated Republican David Poulson to earn a full Senate term. In the Senate, Wagner served as chair of the Senate Education Committee. Wagner was elected Senate Majority Leader in May 2020.

Personal life

Wagner lives with his wife and children in Lake Oswego.

References

External links

Legislative website

Campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wagner, Rob 1973 births Living people 21st-century American politicians George Washington University alumni Democratic Party Oregon state senators Politicians from Lake Oswego, Oregon Portland State University alumni School board members in Oregon