Women Hold More Leadership Positions in the Oregon Legislature Than Do Their Peers in Any Other State

A New York Times article looks at the impact of that leadership on state policy.

Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek (Courtesy of Oregon Democrats)
By Nigel Jaquiss

A New York Times story over the Labor Day weekend highlighted the power that women wield in Oregon, holding not just the governor's office (Kate Brown) and the attorney general's office (Ellen Rosenblum) but also top spots in the Legislature.

Leading the way in Salem: House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland), Senate Majority Leader Ginny Burdick (D-Portland) and House Majority Leader Jennifer Williamson (D-Portland).

"Oregon's Legislature is only ninth-highest in the country for the percentage of its members who are women, but it has more women in top leadership roles — including the house speaker and majority leaders of both chambers — than any other state's, according to Kelly Dittmar, a scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University," the New York Times reports. 

The question the Times article raises—whether that leadership has pushed lawmakers and policy to the left of the state as a whole—is not fully answered and will be a focus of the general election season that begins today.

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