Jessica Vega Pederson is a Democratic politician in the U.S. state of Oregon. She served in the Oregon House of Representatives, for two two-year terms, from January 2013 through 2016. From 2017 to 2022, Vega Pederson served as a county commissioner for Multnomah County, the state's most populous county. In 2022, Vega Pederson was elected to serve as county chair, and took office in 2023.
Jessica Vega Pederson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair of the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Deborah Kafoury |
| Member of the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners from the 3rd district | |
| In office January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Judy Shiprack |
| Succeeded by | Diane Rosenbaum |
| Member of the Oregon House of Representatives from the 47th district | |
| In office January 14, 2013 – January 3, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Jefferson Smith |
| Succeeded by | Diego Hernandez |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1975 (age 48–49) Crown Point, Indiana, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Loyola University Chicago (BA) |
Early life and education
editVega Pederson was born in Crown Point, Indiana, a small town near Chicago, and raised in a Mexican-American family.[1] Vega Pederson graduated from Loyola University Chicago, where she majored in informational systems management and technology.[2]
Career
editPrior to running for political office, Vega Pederson was a project manager for a tech company.[1] Her listing within the Voter's Pamphlet read: "I am not a politician. I'm a mom and a professional. My husband has his own small business. We work hard and we want a better future for our kids."[2] She and her husband have two small children and live in East Portland.[3]
In November 2013, she was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives, for District 47, for a two-year term starting in January 2013.[1] She was re-elected two years later.
In September 2015,[4] Vega Pederson announced that she would not seek re-election to the House,[5] and would instead run for election to the Multnomah County Commission, for a seat that was due to become open as a result of term limits requiring its then-holder Judy Shiprack to leave the seat.[4] She won election to the commission in the May 2016 primary, representing county District 3, for a four-year term to begin in January 2017. She was sworn in on January 3, 2017.[6][7] On May 19, 2020, Jessica Vega Pederson was re-elected to a four-year term on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners.[8] On November 8, 2022, Vega Pederson was elected Multnomah County Chair, defeating fellow commissioners Lori Stegmann (in the primary) and Sharon Meieran (in the general election), for a four-year term to begin in January 2023.[9]
Pederson made her residency in far East Portland a part of her political appeal, however she moved to a $1.2 million, 5 bedroom house in Southwest Portland in April 2024.[10]
Electoral history
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Jessica Vega Pederson | 164,914 | 54.03% | |
| Nonpartisan | Sharon Meieran | 138,034 | 45.23% | |
| Other | Write-ins | 2,263 | 0.74% | |
| Total votes | 305,211 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Jessica Vega Pederson | 77,529 | 41.95% | |
| Nonpartisan | Sharon Meieran | 33,651 | 18.21% | |
| Nonpartisan | Sharia Mayfield | 27,713 | 14.99% | |
| Nonpartisan | Lori Stegmann | 23,210 | 12.56% | |
| Nonpartisan | Bruce Broussard | 12,895 | 6.98% | |
| Nonpartisan | Joe Demers | 9,544 | 5.16% | |
| Other | Write-ins | 290 | 0.16% | |
| Total votes | 184,832 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Jessica Vega Pederson | 37,244 | 98.42% | |
| Other | Write-ins | 596 | 1.58% | |
| Total votes | 37,840 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Jessica Vega Pederson | 29,986 | 97.96% | |
| Other | Write-ins | 623 | 2.04% | |
| Total votes | 30,609 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jessica Vega Pederson | 10,379 | 95.4 | |
| Write-in | 505 | 4.6 | ||
| Total votes | 10,884 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jessica Vega Pederson | 12,662 | 64.8 | |
| Republican | Maggie Nelson | 6,773 | 34.7 | |
| Write-in | 93 | 0.5 | ||
| Total votes | 19,528 | 100% | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c Kozinskiy, Olga (November 14, 2012). "Emerging Women". Willamette Week. Portland, Oregon. Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ a b "Jessica Vega Pederson emphasizes education in run for District 47 seat". El Hispanic News. May 3, 2012. Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ "Voter Guide: State Representative -- 47th District". OregonLive.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
- ^ a b Theriault, Denis C. (September 10, 2015). "East Portland lawmaker running for Multnomah County board". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on November 15, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
- ^ Hansen, Kristina (May 8, 2016). "Oregon Republicans hope to pick up a few seats in Legislature". Mail Tribune. Medford, Oregon. Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
- ^ Parks, Casey (January 4, 2017) [online date January 3]. "Multnomah County: Commission is more diverse than ever". The Oregonian. p. A6. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
- ^ Manning, Rob (January 3, 2017). "Multnomah County Swears In All-Female Commission". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on January 5, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
- ^ "No clear winner in Multnomah County chair race". opb. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ Hayden, Nicole (November 10, 2022). "Jessica Vega Pederson wins race for Multnomah County chair". The Oregonian/OregonLive. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
- ^ "Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson Leaves Outer Southeast Portland for West Hills". Willamette Week. May 23, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
- ^ "Multnomah County Official Precinct Results - Chair, Board of County Commissioners" (PDF). Multnomah County. December 5, 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- ^ "Official Precinct Results - Multnomah County Chair" (PDF). Multnomah County. June 9, 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ^ "Multnomah County Elections - Update 12 - Final Summary" (PDF). Multnomah County. June 5, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- ^ "May 17, 2016 Primary Election Final Results" (PDF). Multnomah County. June 17, 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- ^ "November 4, 2014, General Election, Official Abstract of Votes". Oregon Secretary of State. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ "Official Results | November 6, 2012". Oregon Secretary of State. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
External links
edit- Website at Multnomah County
- Project VoteSmart biography