{{short description|American politician}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Kate Lieber |office = Majority Leader of the Oregon Senate |term_start = January 9, 2023 |term_end = July 15, 2024 |predecessor = Rob Wagner |successor = Kathleen Taylor |state_senate1 = Oregon |district1 = 14th |term_start1 = January 11, 2021 |term_end1 = |predecessor1 = Mark Hass |successor1 = |birth_date = |birth_place = |death_date = |death_place = |party = Democratic |education = Smith College (BA)<br>Indiana University, Bloomington (JD) |signature = Kate Lieber Signature.png }} '''Kate Lieber''' is an American politician, who served as Majority Leader of the Oregon State Senate from 2023 to 2024. She represents Oregon's 14th Senate district, which includes the cities of Beaverton, Aloha, and portions of Washington and Multnomah counties.
==Professional background== Before her election to the Oregon Senate, Lieber worked for many years as an attorney prosecuting domestic violence and child abuse cases for the Multnomah County District Attorney's office. She was nominated by Governor Ted Kulongoski to the Psychiatric Security Review Board (PSRB), on which she served for eight years and which she chaired for five.<ref name="aboutme">{{cite web|url=https://www.katefororegon.com/about|title=About me|publisher=Kate Lieber: Democrat for Oregon Senate|accessdate=November 7, 2021|archive-date=November 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108011500/https://www.katefororegon.com/about|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Political career== Lieber was first inspired to run for public office after the election of Donald Trump as US President.<ref name="aboutme"/> She ran for the District 14 seat in the Oregon Senate after incumbent Democrat Mark Hass decided to run for Oregon Secretary of State, instead of re-election.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wweek.com/news/state/2020/05/22/sen-mark-hass-officially-concedes-democratic-secretary-of-state-primary-to-sen-shemia-fagan/l|first=Nigel|last=Jaquiss|title=Sen. Mark Hass Officially Concedes Democratic Secretary of State Primary to Sen. Shemia Fagan|website=Willamette Week}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> She defeated Republican candidate Harmony Mulkey in the general election, winning 69% to 30.8%, with 0.2% of the vote going to other candidates.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indystar.com/elections/results/race/2020-11-03-state_senate-OR-38057/|title=2020 Oregon State Senate – District 14 Election Results|website=IndyStar.|access-date=February 16, 2021|archive-date=May 28, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528065041/https://www.indystar.com/elections/results/race/2020-11-03-state_senate-OR-38057/|url-status=live}}</ref>
On November 18, 2022, Lieber was elected Majority Leader by the Oregon Senate democratic caucus.<ref>{{cite news|last=Dake|first=Lauren|date=November 19, 2022|title=Oregon Senate will have new leader for first time in about 20 years|url=https://www.opb.org/article/2022/11/19/oregon-senate-will-have-new-leader-for-first-time-in-about-20-years/|work=Oregon Public Broadcasting|access-date=June 18, 2024}}</ref> In June 2024, she announced she would step down from the role on July 15 to become co-chair of the joint ways and means committee, a position being vacated by Senator Elizabeth Steiner.<ref>{{cite news|last=VanderHart|first=Dirk|date=June 3, 2024|title=Oregon Senate Democrats shuffle leadership ahead of November election|url=https://www.opb.org/article/2024/06/03/oregon-senator-elizabeth-steiner-steps-down-budget-writer-focus-treasurer-run/|work=Oregon Public Broadcasting|access-date=June 18, 2024}}</ref>
In 2024, Lieber co-wrote a bill reinstating criminal penalties for drug possession, which had been removed in 2020 by Measure 110, as well as expanding access to drug treatment.<ref>{{cite news|last=VanderHart|first=Dirk|date=March 1, 2024|title=Oregon's drug decriminalization experiment appears dead|url=https://www.opb.org/article/2024/03/01/oregon-legislature-passes-bill-recriminalizing-drug-possession-sends-to-governor-measure-110/|work=Oregon Public Broadcasting|access-date=June 18, 2024}}</ref> The bill was signed into law on April 1, 2024.<ref>{{cite news|last=Wilson|first=Conrad|date=April 1, 2024|title=Oregon governor signs bill criminalizing drug possession|url=https://www.opb.org/article/2024/04/01/drug-possession-oregon-kotek-sign-bill/|work=Oregon Public Broadcasting|access-date=June 18, 2024}}</ref>
==Personal life== Lieber is gay and is the first openly lesbian member of the Oregon Senate.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pamplinmedia.com/pt/9-news/522205-417221-oregons-human-service-budgeteers-are-members-of-lgbtq-community|title=Oregon's Human Service budgeteers are members of LGBTQ community|date=September 27, 2021|first=Dana|last=Haynes|publisher=Portland Tribune|accessdate=November 7, 2021|archive-date=November 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108011458/https://pamplinmedia.com/pt/9-news/522205-417221-oregons-human-service-budgeteers-are-members-of-lgbtq-community|url-status=live}}</ref> She lives with her wife and two children.<ref name="aboutme" />
==Electoral history==
{{Election box begin no change | title = 2020 Oregon State Senator, 14th district<ref>{{cite web | title = November 3, 2020, General Election Abstract of Votes | url = https://sos.oregon.gov/elections/Documents/results/november-general-2020.pdf | website = Oregon Secretary of State | access-date = October 30, 2023 | archive-date = November 12, 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221112205917/https://sos.oregon.gov/elections/Documents/results/november-general-2020.pdf | url-status = live }}</ref>}} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change | candidate = Kate Lieber | party = Democratic Party (United States) | votes = 48,900 | percentage = 69.0}} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Harmony K Mulkey | party = Republican Party (United States) | votes = 21,838 | percentage = 30.8}} {{Election box write-in with party link no change | votes = 141 | percentage = 0.2}} {{Election box total no change | votes = 70,879 | percentage = 100%}} {{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change | title = 2024 Oregon State Senator, 14th 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 = Kate Lieber | party = Democratic Party (United States) | votes = 60,002 | percentage = 85.0}} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Katy Brumbelow | party = Libertarian Party (United States) | votes = 10,149 | percentage = 14.4}} {{Election box write-in with party link no change | votes = 456 | percentage = 0.6}} {{Election box total no change | votes = 70,607 | percentage = 100%}} {{Election box end}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-par|us-or-sen}} {{s-bef|before=Ginny Burdick}} {{s-ttl|title=Majority Leader of the Oregon Senate|years=2023–2024}} {{s-aft|after=Kathleen Taylor}} {{s-end}}
{{Oregon State Senators}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lieber, Kate}} Category:21st-century American women politicians Category:Democratic Party Oregon state senators Category:21st-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly Category:LGBTQ state legislators in Oregon Category:Living people Category:Women state legislators in Oregon Category:Year of birth missing (living people)