House Representative

Maxine
Dexter

OR-03
D
Maxine Dexter

Dr. Maxine Dexter is a physician who understands the connection between pollution and public health. She is also an experienced legislator and strong advocate for our environment and democracy, voting to make Oregon a leader in climate action, clean energy, and voting access as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives for over two decades.

The first in her family to graduate from college, Dr. Dexter earned her medical degree from the University of Washington and moved to Portland to care for Oregon’s most vulnerable community members as a pulmonary (lung) and critical care doctor. She was elected to the state legislature in 2020 where she introduced and helped pass legislation to make buildings more energy-efficient; fought for the Healthy Heating and Cooling for All Initiative and Right to Refuse Dangerous Work to protect low-income communities and outdoor workers from heat wave deaths; and introduced and helped pass one of the nation’s pioneering Right to Repair laws to reduce waste. Dr. Dexter has also sponsored bills supporting ranked-choice voting, campaign finance reform, and expanding voting rights to non-citizen immigrants and people in custody.

As a representative, Dr. Dexter will work to limit fossil fuel air pollution and hold big polluters accountable, champion a rapid transition to 100% clean energy, and advocate for healthy rivers and well-funded water infrastructure. She earned a 93% lifetime score on Oregon LCV’s Environmental Scorecard for the Oregon Legislature.

Dr. Dexter joins the U.S. House to fill the seat of retiring Representative Earl Blumenauer, who earned a 95% lifetime score on LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard. 

“As a state lawmaker, I have persistently prioritized climate justice and will continue to do so as the future of my children and all generations to follow are at imminent threat. I ran for office to make sure they know that I care about their future and that of our community and to set an example that each of us must hold ourselves accountable to doing everything we can to make the world more liveable and just.”  – LCVAF Questionnaire