Senator Kim Thatcher Contact information

Kim Thatcher (born 1964) is an American politician currently serving as a member of the Oregon State Senate for the 11th district since 2023. She previously represented the 13th district from 2015 to 2023, and served as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives for the 25th district from 2005 to 2015. She is a resident of Keizer, Oregon.

Thatcher was born in Pocatello, Idaho, in 1964 and attended Portland State University. She was first elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 2004, representing the Keizer area. Early in her career, as the owner of the highway construction firm KT Contracting, she became known for her criticisms of the Oregon Department of Transportation.

In May 2005, Thatcher successfully sponsored a bill to limit public access to information about concealed handgun license. She was reelected in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012. In 2014, Thatcher chose to run for a seat in the Oregon Senate, held by the retiring Larry George, rather than seek re-election to her house seat.

During Thatcher’s 2014 campaign for state senator, she earned the endorsement of The Oregonian on October 9, 2014; she ultimately won the election. However, The Oregonian had revoked the endorsement the day after giving it due to newly released reports showing companies she owned had lied about expenses submitted to ODOT for repayment, and then was found destroying evidence when records were requested in court proceedings. The rulings ended with $60,000 in court costs, and an assessment stating that while the company had willfully destroyed evidence, the resources needed to successfully prosecute a criminal case would require more than could be justified as an appropriate use.

Thatcher was a delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention, where she cast her vote for Donald Trump as the nominee. While she initially supported Ted Cruz, she ended the convention supporting Trump for president stating: “I can honestly say I feel less uncomfortable with Trump.”

During the 79th Oregon Legislative Assembly, Thatcher served on the Transparency Advisory Commission. She was also a member of the General Government and Accountability Committee. During the current 81st Oregon Legislative Assembly, she serves on the Judiciary Committee. Thatcher was one of several cosponsors of legislation in 2009 to establish an Oregon’s first transparency website; the measure passed the Senate unanimously and was signed into law by then-Governor Ted Kulongoski.