Oregon Senate Democrats and House Republicans recently elected new leaders while Senate Republicans stuck with the same ones. The House Democrats mostly retained their current leadership. The changes include Majority Leader Kayse Jama replacing Kathleen Taylor in the Senate Democrats, and Republican Leader Christine Drazan taking over from Jeff Helfrich in the House Republicans. The Multnomah and Washington county commissioners appointed Rep. Lisa Reynolds to fill a Senate District 17 vacancy left by Sen. Elizabeth Steiner. The Senate Majority Office will see some changes, with Senior policy adviser Katie Morrison and policy adviser Alex Blosser exiting, and new hires for outreach and administrative coordinator positions. In the Senate Republican Office, Justin Brecht returned as the legislative director.
In the House Majority Office, Will Anderson takes on the role of caucus strategist, and Lucas Bezerra will join Governor Tina Kotek’s staff as deputy communications director. Brendan Finn will leave the Oregon Department of Transportation to become the chief of staff for incoming Multnomah County Commissioner Vince Jones-Dixon. Additionally, long-time KGW-TV anchor Pat Dooris will be moving on to become the communications director for incoming Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez.
Overall, these changes reflect a significant reshuffling of political leadership and staffing positions within the Oregon state government. The new lineup of leaders brings a fresh perspective and energy to the legislative process, which could have implications for future policy decisions.
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