April Dobson is an American politician currently serving in the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, the upper house being the Oregon State Senate. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of ...

. A member of the Democratic Party, she represents the 39th district, which includes Happy Valley, Clackamas, and a small portion of outer southeastern

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

. Dobson is also a member of the North Clackamas School Board.

Early life and education

Dobson was born and raised in Oregon and graduated from Scappoose High School in Scappoose. She attended the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

, earning a bachelor's degree in 1997. Dobson lived in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

for a time where she was involved with helping to reopen libraries that had closed due to funding issues.

Career

In 2023, Dobson ran for position #7 on the North Clackamas School Board to oppose three candidates backed by the conservative Oregon Mom's Union. She won in the May election.

State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United St ...

Janelle Bynum helped with the race, and when Bynum announced her candidacy for congress in the upcoming election, she encouraged Dobson to run for her seat. Dobson ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, and went on to defeat Republican Aimee Reiner in the November general election. In the 2025 session, Dobson was appointed vice-chair of the House Education Committee. She was also appointed to the Housing and Homelessness Committee and the Committee on Economic Development, Small Business, and Trade.

Personal life

Dobson is married and has 3 children, including one with autism. They live in Happy Valley.

Electoral history

External links

Campaign website

Legislative website

References

Oregon politician stubs Oregon politicians 21st-century Oregon politicians 21st-century American women politicians Living people 21st-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly People from Happy Valley, Oregon Democratic Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives Women state legislators in Oregon {{Oregon-politician-stub