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Vicki Lynn Walker (born May 29, 1956) is an American
politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
. She served as the Oregon State Director for Rural Development with the
U.S. Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and production ...
. A member of the Democratic Party, Walker previously served in both houses of the
Oregon Legislature The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower chamber: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the H ...
and briefly served as chair of the state's parole board. Walker is known as an advocate for utility customers and as an outspoken critic of influential former
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Neil Goldschmidt Neil Edward Goldschmidt (June 16, 1940 – June 12, 2024) was an American businessman and Democratic politician from the state of Oregon who held local, state, and federal offices over three decades. After serving as mayor of Portland, Oregon, ...
.


Early life

Walker was born in
Monroe, Washington Monroe is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, Snohomish County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Skykomish River, Skykomish, Snohomish River, Snohomish, and Snoqualmie River, Snoqualmie r ...
, and graduated from Reedsport High School in
Reedsport, Oregon Reedsport is a coastal town in northwest Douglas County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,310. It is located about 73 miles northwest of Roseburg, the county seat. History Reedsport was established on the e ...
, in 1974. 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 ...
and graduated in 1978 with a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
in
political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
.


Career

After college, Walker was a self-employed
court reporter A court reporter, court stenographer, or shorthand reporter is a person whose occupation is to capture the live testimony in proceedings using a stenographic machine or a stenomask, thereby transforming the proceedings into an official certif ...
from 1983, and a certified
shorthand Shorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases speed and brevity of writing as compared to Cursive, longhand, a more common method of writing a language. The process of writing in shorthand is called stenography, from the Gr ...
reporter. From 1992 to 1994, Walker served as the chair of the Lane County Democratic Central Committee. In addition, she served as secretary-treasurer and area representative for the Cal Young Neighborhood Association in Eugene. Walker has also volunteered on campaigns and has helped to fundraise for
non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
s.


Oregon Legislature

In November 1998, Walker was elected to 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 proposed
legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred ...
making the prevention of youth
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
a state priority as well as a bill that provides consumers protection from
predatory lending Predatory lending refers to unethical practices conducted by lending organizations during a loan origination process that are unfair, deceptive, or fraudulent. While there are no internationally agreed legal definitions for predatory lending, a 20 ...
practices. Walker was re-elected in 2000. She served on the Oregon House Judiciary, Criminal Law Subcommittee, Labor and Consumer Affairs, and Smart Growth & Commerce Committees. Walker was elected to 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 ...
in November 2002 for the 7th District, covering Eugene, Junction City, and
Harrisburg Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...
. She served as vice-chair of the Business and Labor Committee as well as a member of the Judiciary, Health Policy and General Government Committees. Legislation she sponsored included strengthening
workers compensation Workers' compensation or workers' comp is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue his or her emp ...
and establishing civil penalties for
e-mail spam Email spam, also referred to as junk email, spam mail, or simply spam, refers to unsolicited messages sent in bulk via email. The term originates from a Monty Python sketch, where the name of a canned meat product, "Spam," is used repetitively, m ...
. In 2005, she served as the chair of the Education and Workforce Committee and vice chair of the Energy and Public Lands Committee. Walker was elected to her second Senate term in 2006, defeating former Eugene mayor Jim Torrey ( R).


2006 race for Governor

Walker was critical of
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
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 ...
, a fellow Democrat, on many issues and considered challenging his bid for re-election in 2006, but ultimately did not run. On September 6, 2005, Walker stated, "I'm tired of the status quo, I'm not one of the good ol' boys. The good ol' boys have had a stranglehold over this state for a long time." Walker, who had run only for offices in the
Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, the ...
, would have faced an uphill battle in a statewide race. Fellow Democrat Pete Sorenson, another Willamette Valley Democrat who did run for governor in 2006, predicted that Walker would have a hard time raising money for her campaign. A poll done by Mike Riley in late 2005 showed Walker and several other Democratic challengers in single digits. Another factor that loomed over Walker's gubernatorial candidacy was the possibility that former two-term Governor John Kitzhaber might enter the race. A December 1, 2005 article asserted that Kitzhaber was considering challenging his successor, Kulongoski. Walker said "I wouldn't run against John Kitzhaber. That's the deciding factor." On January 13, 2006, Kitzhaber said that he would not enter the race, leaving the door open for a possible run by Walker. However, Walker announced on February 1, 2006 that she would not seek the office, but would instead listen to voters in her State Senate District and run for re-election.


Goldschmidt scandal

Walker, a sexual assault victim, is partially responsible for forcing former governor Neil Goldschmidt to admit publicly that he had a
sexual relationship An intimate relationship is an interpersonal relationship that involves emotional or physical closeness between people and may include sexual intimacy and feelings of Romance (love), romance or love. Intimate relationships are Interdependence ...
with a 14-year-old girl in 1975 which lasted three years. Goldschmidt was
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
of
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 ...
at the time the relationship took place. Walker received the information from ''
Portland Tribune The ''Portland Tribune'' is a weekly newspaper published every Wednesday in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is part of the Pamplin Media Group, which publishes a number of community newspapers in the Portland metropolitan area. Launched i ...
''
Columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (periodical), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the ...
Phil Stanford about the scandal, though it reportedly was not enough proof to go public. Walker was a longtime critic of Goldschmidt and tried unsuccessfully to prevent his appointment to the
Oregon State Board of Higher Education The Oregon State Board of Higher Education was the statutory A statute is a law or formal written enactment of a legislature. Statutes typically declare, command or prohibit something. Statutes are distinguished from court law and unwritten la ...
in January 2004. A few months later, Walker passed the documents she had received from Stanford to a ''
Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history '' ...
'' newspaper reporter. On May 6, 2004, Goldschmidt confessed publicly to the relationship after being told that an article in ''Willamette Week'' was going to be printed about the scandal. The story appeared in the paper less than a week later, and revealed that close friends and colleagues had kept quiet about the relationship for 30 years. Goldschmidt subsequently resigned from the
Oregon State Bar The Oregon State Bar (OSB) is a public corporation and instrumentality of the Oregon Judicial Department in the U.S. state of Oregon. Founded in 1890 as the private Oregon Bar Association, it became a public entity in 1935 that regulates the lega ...
and the Board of Higher Education.


Campaign for Secretary of State

At the conclusion of the 2007 legislative session, Walker announced her candidacy for
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 2008. She finished third in the Democratic primary to
Kate Brown Katherine Brown (born June 21, 1960) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 38th governor of Oregon from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she served three terms as the state representative from the 13th distr ...
and
Rick Metsger Richard Thomas Metsger (born August 16, 1951) served in the Oregon State Senate from 1999 to 2011. President Barack Obama nominated Rick Metsger to serve on the board of the National Credit Union Administration on May 16, 2013. The U.S. Senate c ...
.


Later career

In 2009, Walker was nominated by
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
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 ...
to a four-year term as chair of
Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
's Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision. She resigned from 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 ...
on July 12, 2009, to begin her new position. In September of that year she withdrew herself for consideration for the position on the board prior to confirmation by the Oregon Senate. Walker did this after state government revenue forecasts determined the state would take in less money than anticipated, and thus a fourth position on the board would not be created as Governor Kulongoski had expected. Walker then took a temporary position with the parole board to last until the end of the year. On October 30, 2009, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that Walker had been appointed as Oregon State Director for Rural Development with the
U.S. Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and production ...
.


Personal life

Walker and her husband Steven live in Eugene, and have two adult children, Adam and Sara.


Electoral history


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Vicki Living people 1956 births Oregon state senators Members of the Oregon House of Representatives Women state legislators in Oregon People from Monroe, Washington People from Reedsport, Oregon Politicians from Eugene, Oregon 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly