Kate Lieber is a Democratic state senator representing Oregon's 14th Senate District, which includes Beaverton, Aloha, Southwest Portland, and portions of Washington and Multnomah counties. She served as Majority Leader of the Oregon State Senate from 2023 to 2024, stepping down in July 2024 to become co-chair of the Joint Ways and Means Committee. Notable achievements include co-writing and passing a 2024 bill that reinstated criminal penalties for drug possession while expanding drug treatment access, signed into law on April 1, 2024. A breast cancer survivor, mother of two, and the first openly lesbian Oregon state senator, she focuses on behavioral health, housing, homelessness, environment, and education.

Education and Political Experience

• Education: Undergraduate degree from Smith College in Massachusetts; JD from Indiana University.
• Early Career: Deputy District Attorney in Multnomah County , prosecuting domestic violence and child abuse cases; taught criminal justice courses at Portland Community College for over a decade.
• Appointments and Nonprofit Work: Appointed by Governor Ted Kulongoski to the Psychiatric Security Review Board ; Board Chair for Transition Projects and Oregon Episcopal School.
• Political Entry: Elected in 2020 to Senate District 14 after incumbent Mark Hass retired ; re-elected in 2024; serves on committees including Human Services, Labor and Business, Energy and Environment, and Joint Ways and Means. Motivated to run post-2016 Trump election.