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Oregon Senate Democrats elected Senator Kathleen Taylor (D-Southeast Portland) on Monday as the new Senate majority leader, second in command of the party that controls the Legislature’s upper chamber.
Current Majority Leader Kate Lieber (D-Beaverton) is stepping down from the position after being tapped by Senate President Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego) to co-chair the Joint Committee on Ways and Means. That gavel became available after Sen. Elizabeth Steiner (D-Portland) decided to focus solely on her campaign for state treasurer.
Everybody trades chairs July 15.
“I’m grateful to Senator Lieber for her service and for leading the Senate Democratic caucus to deliver major wins for the people of Oregon,” Taylor wrote in a statement. “I look forward to supporting our caucus and collaborating with my fellow legislative leaders to make Oregon the best place to live, work, and raise a family.”
Taylor and Sen. Janeen Sollman (D-Hillsboro) both showed interest in the job, but Taylor won a closed-doors vote, according to reporting by OPB. Sollman will remain deputy majority leader.
It’s a move up for Taylor, though not as big a leap as she previously sought. In 2022, she tried to succeed Senate President Peter Courtney. The bid failed, and, while Taylor received high marks in our most recent survey of Capitol insiders, many said she was isolated from her caucus.
They celebrated her promotion Monday.
“Leader-elect Taylor brings a wealth of knowledge and skills to this office, and I am confident that she will be the strong, capable leader Oregonians need in the Senate,” Lieber said in a statement. “I’m so proud of what we have accomplished as a caucus over the past two years—from major investments in growing our economy to tackling urgent problems like homelessness and the drug crisis.”