Kim Thatcher
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Lona Kim Thatcher (born 1964) is an American politician currently serving as a member of the
Oregon State Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the State legislature (United States), statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. Ther ...
for the 11th district since 2023. She previously represented the 13th district from 2015 to 2023, and served as a member of 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 ...
for the 25th district from 2005 to 2015. She is a resident of Keizer.


Early life and education

Thatcher was born Lona Kim Thatcher in
Pocatello, Idaho Pocatello () is the county seat of and the largest city in Bannock County, Idaho, Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, Idaho, Power County, containing the city's airport. It is t ...
, in 1964 and attended
Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon, United States. 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 next ...
.


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, she 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 De ...
. In May 2005, Thatcher successfully sponsored a bill to limit public access to information about concealed handgun license. 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, 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 West Coast of the United States, U.S. West Coast, founded as a weekly by Tho ...
'' on October 9, 2014; she ultimately won the election. However, ''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 $60,000 in 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 (United States), Republican Party chose the party's nominees for President of the United States, president and Vice President of the United Sta ...
, where she cast her vote for
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
as the nominee. While she initially supported
Ted Cruz Rafael Edward 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 was the solicitor general of Texas from 2003 ...
, 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 legislative session of the Oregon Legislative Assembly that convened on January 11, 2021 and adjourned June 26th. Its even-year short session of 35 days convened on February 1, 2022 and adjourned si ...
, 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 List of Governors of Oregon, 36th governor of Oregon from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrati ...
. 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 Party (Oregon), Republican members of the Oregon State Senate refused to attend floor sessions of the Oregon Senate in an effort to stymie Democratic efforts to ...
. 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 served as the 17th Oregon Attorney General from June 2012 to December 2024. She is the first female state attorney general in Oregon's history, and previously wa ...
join Texas and other states contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election in '' Texas v. Pennsylvania''. 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 United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 3, 2020. The Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and California junior senator Kamala H ...
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 the government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in the line of succession to the List of Governors of Oregon, governor. The duties of the offi ...
in the 2020 general election. 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 who served as the Oregon secretary of state from 2021 to 2023. She previously served as a Democratic member of the Oregon Senate, representing Senate District ...
(50.3%).


2023 Unexcused absences

While participating in a Republican-led walkout in May 2023 Thatcher reached the 10 unexcused absence threshold set by measure 113, disqualifying her from running for reelection after her current term ends. In October the
Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest State court (United States), state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.
agreed to hear a challenge to the measure. On February 1, 2024, the Court unanimously ruled against the Republican Senators, confirming Thatcher's disqualification after her current term ends in January 2027.


Electoral history


References


External links


Oregon House website

Campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thatcher, Kim 1964 births 21st-century American women politicians Living people Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives Republican Party Oregon state senators 21st-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly People from Keizer, Oregon Women state legislators in Oregon