Tawna Dee Sanchez (born August 23, 1961) is an American politician, currently serving 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 ...

. She represents the 43rd district, which covers parts of north-central

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 ...

Early life and education

Sanchez was born and raised in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. Sanchez is of Shoshone-Bannock,

Ute Ute or UTE may refer to: * Ute people, a Native American people of the Great Basin * Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, Utah * Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah * Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern ...

, and Carrizo descent and was the second person of Native American descent elected to serve in the Oregon legislature (following Jackie Taylor) and the first to represent Portland. Sanchez graduated with a bachelor's degree from Marylhurst University and with a master's degree from

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

She has worked with the Native American Youth and Family Center for much of her life. Sanchez has served on the Oregon Child Welfare Advisory Commission and the Oregon Family Services Review Commission. She won election to the House in 2016, narrowly defeating Roberta Phillip-Robbins in the Democratic primary and running unopposed in the general election. As of 2023 Sanchez is the co-chair of the Oregon legislature's joint Ways and Means committee, along with Senator

Elizabeth Steiner Elizabeth Steiner (born April 5, 1963), also known as Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, is a Democratic Party (Oregon), Democratic politician who is currently serving as the 30th Oregon State Treasurer, Treasurer of Oregon since 2025. She previously s ...

Electoral history

2016

2018

2020

2022

2024

References

External links

Campaign website

Legislative website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Tawna 1960s births 21st-century American women politicians Living people Marylhurst University alumni Democratic Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly Politicians from Portland, Oregon Portland State University alumni Women state legislators in Oregon American people of Shoshone descent American people of Ute descent American people of Paiute descent Native American people from Oregon Year of birth missing (living people)