Tina Kotek
Updated: Wikipedia source
Christine Kotek ( KOH-tek; born September 30, 1966) is an American politician who has served since 2023 as the 39th governor of Oregon. A member of the Democratic Party, Kotek served from 2007 to 2022 as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives from the 44th district and from 2013 to 2022 as speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives. Kotek became the first openly lesbian woman elected speaker of a U.S. state house in 2013. She is the longest-serving speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives, having served for nine years. She was elected governor of Oregon in 2022, becoming one of the first two openly lesbian women and the third openly LGBT person elected governor of a U.S. state, as well as the third woman elected governor of Oregon. Throughout her time in elected office, Kotek has championed legislation to increase housing production in Oregon to alleviate the state's housing crisis. In 2019, she spearheaded legislation to make Oregon the first state to remove single-family-exclusive zoning across the state, permitting duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes in residential neighborhoods previously zoned exclusively for single-family homes. In 2024, her top legislative priority as governor was putting $376 million toward housing production, as well as easing the rules for housing development.