Maxine Elizabeth Dexter (née Johnson, born December 5, 1972) is an American physician and politician who served as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives from 2020 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Party, she was appointed in June 2020 after the death of Mitch Greenlick. She formerly represented the 33rd district, which covers the Northwest District and Northwest Heights of Portland, as well as Cedar Mill, Oak Hills, and most of Bethany.
Maxine Dexter | |
|---|---|
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| Member-elect of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon's 3rd district | |
| Assuming office January 3, 2025 | |
| Succeeding | Earl Blumenauer |
| Member of the Oregon House of Representatives from the 33rd district | |
| In office June 14, 2020 – August 30, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Mitch Greenlick |
| Succeeded by | Shannon Jones Isadore |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Maxine Elizabeth Johnson December 5, 1972 Bothell, Washington, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | University of Washington (BA, MD) |
On November 5, 2024, Dexter was elected to the United States House of Representatives representing Oregon's 3rd district.[1]
Early life and medical career
editDexter grew up in Bothell, Washington, and graduated from Inglemoor High School. She received her bachelor's degree in political science and communication from the University of Washington, and her Doctor of Medicine from that university's School of Medicine.[2]
Dexter served her medical residency in Aurora, Colorado, and moved to Portland with her husband in 2008. She works as a pulmonologist with Kaiser Permanente in Hillsboro.[3] In 2023, it was reported that she would continue to work part-time at Kaiser Permanente as a pulmonologist and critical care medicine specialist during her congressional run.[4]
Oregon House of Representatives
editDexter ran to succeed Mitch Greenlick as representative for the 33rd district in the Oregon House of Representatives in the 2020 election. Dexter said she was inspired to run for office following the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation hearing, during which Christine Blasey Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault, which he forcefully denied.[5]
She won the Democratic primary to succeed Greenlick on May 17, 2020, with 40% of the vote, defeating three other candidates, including Christina Stephenson.[6] Greenlick died on May 15, so Dexter was appointed to finish out his term a month later.[7] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dexter treated patients with the disease, and wrote a letter urging Oregon Governor Kate Brown to close Oregon schools in April 2020.[8] She was reelected in the 2022 election. On July 31, 2024, Dexter announced she would resign from the legislature to focus on her campaign for Congress, effective August 30.[9]
Tenure
editAs a representative, Dexter introduced a bill expanding access to the opioid antidote medication naloxone, allowing first responders to distribute the drug to members of the general public, and decriminalizing fentanyl test strips.[10] The bill was signed into law on August 8.[11]
In 2023, Dexter served as chair of the House Housing and Homelessness Committee in the legislature. She was credited with helping to pass a $200 million spending bill on housing and homelessness issues.[4]
2024 congressional candidacy
editOn December 5, 2023, Dexter announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for Oregon's 3rd congressional district to succeed retiring Representative Earl Blumenauer.[12] Dexter stated in an interview that she planned to run for Congress since she was 20.[4]
In the primary, she faced opposition from former Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal and Gresham City Councilor Eddy Morales. She was the top recipient of independent expenditure spending in the primary, with 314 Action spending about $2.2 million in total on independent expenditures in support of her campaign.[13][14] She received endorsements from politicians including Dan Rayfield, who served as speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives from 2022 to 2024.[15] She was also endorsed by The Oregonian and the Willamette Week.[16] Dexter ultimately won the Democratic primary.[17]
On November 5, 2024, Dexter defeated Republican nominee Joanna Harbour in the general election.[1]
Political positions
editDexter supports the transition to a single-payer health care system. She also supports greater protections for employees, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increased money for public housing, and stricter gun control.[5] Dexter opposes efforts to condition U.S. aid to Israel amid the ongoing Israel–Hamas war but supports a negotiated cease-fire and delivery of humanitarian aid.[16]
Electoral history
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Maxine E Dexter | 33,707 | 75.6 | |
| Republican | Dick Courter | 10,796 | 24.2 | |
| Write-in | 59 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 44,562 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Maxine E Dexter | 26,154 | 84.8 | |
| Republican | Stan Baumhofer | 4,651 | 15.1 | |
| Write-in | 30 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 30,835 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Maxine Dexter | 46,689 | 47.39 | |
| Democratic | Susheela Jayapal | 32,300 | 32.78 | |
| Democratic | Eddy Morales | 13,162 | 13.36 | |
| Democratic | Michael Jonas | 2,317 | 2.35 | |
| Democratic | Nolan Bylenga | 2,099 | 2.13 | |
| Democratic | Rachel Lydia Rand | 834 | 0.85 | |
| Democratic | Ricardo Barajas | 624 | 0.63 | |
| Total votes | 98,529 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Maxine E Dexter | 226,405 | 67.7 | |
| Republican | Joanna Harbour | 84,344 | 25.2 | |
| Independent | David W Walker | 10,245 | 3.1 | |
| Pacific Green | Joe Meyer | 10,106 | 3.0 | |
| Constitution | David K Frosch | 2,459 | 0.7 | |
| Write-in | 810 | 0.2 | ||
| Total votes | 334,369 | 100% | ||
References
edit- ^ a b "Democrat Maxine Dexter wins Oregon's 3rd Congressional District". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Washington, D.C. Associated Press. November 6, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
- ^ "Oregon Secretary Of State". secure.sos.state.or.us. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- ^ "Maxine E. Dexter, MD". Kaiser Permanente. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ a b c Shumway, Julia (December 5, 2023). "Oregon state Rep. Maxine Dexter joins race to replace Blumenauer in Congress • Oregon Capital Chronicle". Oregon Capital Chronicle. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ^ a b Wong, Peter (February 13, 2020). "Maxine Dexter seeks open House District 33 seat". Beaverton Valley Times. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ Sickinger, Ted (May 19, 2020). "Maxine Dexter wins four-way primary to represent parts of Washington County and Northwest Portland". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ "Maxine Dexter sworn in to Oregon House District 33 seat, will serve remainder of Mitch Greenlick's term". Statesman Journal. June 15, 2020. Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ "WW's May 2020 Endorsements for Oregon Legislature". Willamette Week. April 29, 2020. Archived from the original on July 2, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ Baumhardt, Alex (July 31, 2024). "Oregon Rep. Maxine Dexter of Portland resigns from state Legislature". Oregon Capital Chronicle. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ VanderHart, Dirk (March 6, 2023). "An overdose-reversal drug could become far more accessible in Oregon". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ Hayden, Nicole (August 8, 2023). "Gov. Kotek signs 6 bills targeting addiction, mental health crises". The Oregonian. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ Jaquiss, Nigel (December 5, 2023). "State Rep. Maxine Dexter Announces Her Candidacy for Oregon's 3rd Congressional District". Willamette Week. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ Shumway, Julia (May 22, 2024). "Dexter, Bynum clinch Democratic nods in Oregon congressional primaries • Oregon Capital Chronicle". Oregon Capital Chronicle. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ "A closer look at Maxine Dexter's primary election win over Susheela Jayapal". KOIN.com. May 23, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ^ VanderHart, Dirk (December 5, 2023). "State Rep. Maxine Dexter joins race to succeed Earl Blumenauer in Congress". OPB. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ^ a b "Susheela Jayapal opponent Maxine Dexter sees influx of support ahead of Oregon primary". Jewish Insider. May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ^ VanderHart, Dirk (May 22, 2024). "Maxine Dexter easily winning race to replace U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
- ^ "November 3, 2020, General Election Abstract of Votes" (PDF). Oregon Secretary of State. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ "November 8, 2022, General Election Abstract of Votes" (PDF). Oregon Secretary of State. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 12, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ "November 5, 2024, General Election Abstract of Votes" (PDF). Oregon Secretary of State. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 12, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024.