State Sen. Kim Thatcher addresses a Timber Unity rally on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020. (FILE PHOTO/Keizertimes)
Keizer’s Republican state Sen. Kim Thatcher announced Monday afternoon that she would running for election in the newly drawn District 11.
“The last few years have shed light on the true consequences of run-away government overreach. Problems facing Oregon families continue to get worse, while Portland politicians continue to push their radical agenda,” Thatcher said in a statement Monday. “Salem needs balance, I look forward to bringing my message to my current constituents and my new neighbors in the Woodburn and Salem area.”
Thatcher has served as the senator for District 13 since 2015 and was a state representative for 10 years before that. She also ran for secretary of state in 2020, losing to Shemia Fagan.
As a result of redistricting earlier this year, Keizer, where Thatcher lives, was moved from Senate District 13 to District 11. The newly drawn District 11 includes the I-5 corridor from Keizer to Woodburn as well as part of Salem.
Thatcher’s press release Monday said that she planned on introducing legislation in the upcoming legislative session that would require school districts to post education plans and curriculum on a publicly available website.
“This legislation is about putting parents in the driver seat of their children’s education and making local government more transparent and accountable to them. Parents deserve to know what is going on in their children’s classrooms,” Thatcher said.
Thatcher has been a strong opponent of vaccine mandates and in June of last year she introduced a bill that would have prohibited public and private entities from denying services based on COVID-19 vaccination status.
In September of 2021, Thatcher joined 138 other Republican state legislators from multiple states in signing a letter that called for a 50-state audit of the 2020 election. In an interview with the Keizertimes, Thatcher said that if “every fraudulent claim” from the 2020 election were investigated, “Americans would not have a reason to doubt who is sitting in the Oval Office.”
Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney, the state’s longest-serving lawmaker, has been the state senator for District 11 since 2003. Courtney announced in a text message to colleagues last week that he would be retiring.
News tip? Contact reporter Joey Cappelletti at [email protected] or 616-610-3093.