Teresa Alonso Leon (born 1975) is an American Democratic politician who served 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 ...

for three terms from 2017 to 2023. She represented the 22nd district, which covers parts of Marion County along

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...

, from Woodburn down to northern

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada * Salem, Ontario, various places Germany * Salem, Baden-Württemberg, a municipality in the Bodensee district ** Salem Abbey (Reichskloster Salem), a monastery * Salem, Schleswig-Holstein Israel * Salem (B ...

Biography

Alonso Leon was born in the

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

state of

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo, is one of the 31 states which, together with Mexico City, compose the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The stat ...

and moved to

Gervais, Oregon Gervais is a city in Marion County, United States. The population was 2,595 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The city is named for settler Joseph Gervais who was one o ...

at the age of 4. She self-identifies as an Indigenous Mexican and a member of the

Purépecha The Purépecha ( ) are a group of Indigenous people centered in the northwestern region of Michoacán, Mexico, mainly in the area of the cities of Cherán and Pátzcuaro. They are also known by the derogatory term " Tarascan", an exonym, app ...

community. She graduated with a bachelor's degree from

Western Oregon University Western Oregon University (WOU) is a public university in Monmouth, Oregon, United States. It was originally established in 1856 by Disciples of Christ pioneers as Monmouth University. Subsequent names included Oregon State Normal School, Oreg ...

in 2002, and with a master's degree in Public Administration 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 ...

in 2013. Alonso Leon, who became a United States citizen in 2012, was appointed to the Woodburn City Council in 2013. In December 2015, Alonso Leon announced her candidacy for the House seat vacated by the retiring

Betty Komp Betty E. Komp (born 1949) is a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic former member of the Oregon House of Representatives, representing District 22 from 2004 to 2017. Early life Komp has previously worked as a farm hand, youth minister, ...

. She defeated Republican Patti Milne, a former state representative, in the general election with 55% of the vote. Alonso Leon became the first immigrant Latina elected to the Oregon legislature.

Electoral history

References

External links

Campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alonso Leon, Teresa 1975 births 21st-century American women politicians American politicians of Mexican descent Candidates in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Oregon Hispanic and Latino American women in politics American people of Purépecha descent Living people Democratic Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly Mexican emigrants to the United States Oregon city council members People from Gervais, Oregon People from Woodburn, Oregon Politicians from Michoacán Portland State University alumni Western Oregon University alumni Women city councillors in Oregon Women state legislators in Oregon