April Dobson

{{Short description|American politician}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | district = [[Oregon's 39th House district|39th]] | predecessor = [[Janelle Bynum]] | state_house = Oregon | term_start = January 13, 2025 | party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] | name = April Dobson | image = DobsonMartinRobinsonGibson (cropped).jpg | caption = Dobson in 2026 | office1 = Member of the [[North Clackamas School District]] Board of Education, Position #7 | term_start1 = 2023 | predecessor1 = Steven Schroedl }}

'''April Dobson''' is an American politician currently serving in the [[Oregon House of Representatives]]. A member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], she represents the [[Oregon's 39th House district|39th district]], which includes [[Happy Valley, Oregon|Happy Valley]], [[Clackamas, Oregon|Clackamas]], and a small portion of outer southeastern [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Representative April Dobson Home Page |url=https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/dobson |access-date=2025-02-01 |website=www.oregonlegislature.gov}}</ref>

Dobson is also a member of the [[North Clackamas School District|North Clackamas School Board]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=School Board - North Clackamas School District |url=https://www.nclack.k12.or.us/about-ncsd/school-board |access-date=2025-02-01 |website=www.nclack.k12.or.us |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Early life and education == Dobson was born and raised in Oregon and graduated from [[Scappoose High School]] in [[Scappoose, Oregon|Scappoose]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Voters' Pamphlet: Oregon Primary Election May 21, 2024 |url=https://oregonvotes.gov/voters-guide/pdf/book14.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240623102438/https://oregonvotes.gov/voters-guide/pdf/book14.pdf |archive-date=2024-06-23 |access-date=2025-02-01 |website=oregonvotes.gov}}</ref> She attended the [[University of Oregon]], earning a bachelor's degree in 1997.<ref>{{Cite web |title=April Dobson |url=https://ormoneywatch.com/candidates/april-dobson/ |access-date=2025-02-01 |website=Oregon Money Watch |language=en-US}}</ref> Dobson lived in [[Los Angeles]] for a time where she was involved with helping to reopen libraries that had closed due to funding issues.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2024-10-16 |title=WW’s Fall 2024 Endorsements: Oregon House |url=https://www.wweek.com/news/2024/10/16/wws-fall-2024-endorsements-oregon-house/ |access-date=2025-02-01 |website=Willamette Week |language=en}}</ref>

== Career == In 2023, Dobson ran for position #7 on the [[North Clackamas School District|North Clackamas School Board]] to oppose three candidates backed by the conservative Oregon Mom's Union. She won in the May election.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Election Results {{!}} Clackamas County |url=https://www.clackamas.us/elections/results.html#2019 |access-date=2025-02-01 |website=www.clackamas.us}}</ref> [[Oregon House of Representatives|State Representative]] [[Janelle Bynum]] helped with the race, and when Bynum announced her candidacy for congress in the [[2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Oregon#District 5|upcoming election]], she encouraged Dobson to run for her seat.<ref name=":0" /> Dobson ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, and went on to defeat [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] Aimee Reiner in the [[2024 Oregon House of Representatives election|November general election]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=April Dobson |url=https://ballotpedia.org/April_Dobson |access-date=2025-02-01 |website=Ballotpedia |language=en}}</ref>

In the 2025 session, Dobson was appointed vice-chair of the House Education Committee. She was also appointed to the Housing and Homelessness Committee and the Committee on Economic Development, Small Business, and Trade.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shumway |first=Julia |date=2025-01-17 |title=Meet Oregon's 19 new state legislators • Oregon Capital Chronicle |url=https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/01/17/meet-oregons-19-new-state-legislators/ |access-date=2025-02-01 |website=Oregon Capital Chronicle |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Representative April Dobson committees |url=https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/dobson/Pages/committees.aspx |access-date=2025-02-01 |website=www.oregonlegislature.gov}}</ref>

== Personal life == Dobson is married and has 3 children, including one with autism.<ref>{{Cite web |title=April Dobson for State Representative |url=https://www.aprildobson.com/about |access-date=2025-02-01 |website=April Dobson for State Representative |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Shumway |first1=Julia |title=Meet the 11 House members, 8 senators newly sworn in to the Oregon Legislature |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2025/01/meet-the-11-house-members-8-senators-newly-sworn-in-to-the-oregon-legislature.html |access-date=21 January 2025 |website=OregonLive |publisher=Oregon Capitol Chronicle}}</ref> They live in [[Happy Valley, Oregon|Happy Valley]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Committee to Elect April Dobson - Statement of Organization |url=https://secure.sos.state.or.us/orestar/sooDetail.do?sooRsn=100778&OWASP_CSRFTOKEN=4SW8-B6QF-I0XN-I4RD-F5ID-UMKT-T5JO-JUD7 |website=Oregon Secretary of State - Orestar}}</ref>

== Electoral history == {{Election box begin no change|title=[[2024 Oregon House of Representatives election|2024 Oregon State Representative]], [[Oregon's 39th House district|39th district]]<ref>{{cite web | title = November 5, 2024, General Election Abstract of Votes | url = https://sos.oregon.gov/elections/Documents/results/november-general-2024-results.pdf | website = Oregon Secretary of State | access-date = December 12, 2024 | archive-date = December 12, 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20241212212240/https://sos.oregon.gov/elections/Documents/results/november-general-2024-results.pdf | url-status = live }}</ref>}} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|candidate=April Dobson|party=Democratic Party (United States)|votes=17,712|percentage=54.4}} {{Election box candidate with party link no change|candidate=Aimee Reiner|party=Republican Party (United States)|votes=14,753|percentage=45.3}} {{Election box write-in with party link no change|votes=75|percentage=0.2}} {{Election box total no change|votes=32,540|percentage=100%}} {{Election box end}}

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links == * [https://www.aprildobson.com/ Campaign website] * [https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/dobson/Pages/default.aspx Legislative website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dobson, April}} [[Category:21st-century American women politicians]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:21st-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly]] [[Category:People from Happy Valley, Oregon]] [[Category:Democratic Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives]] [[Category:Women state legislators in Oregon]] [[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]