Optometrist and owner of Rose City Vision Care Thuy Tran is running to represent the expansive and largely Democratic House District 45.
Thuy Tran, an optometrist and owner of Rose City Vision Care, beat consultant Catherine Thomasson in Tuesday’s Democratic primary to represent House District 45 in Northeast Portland.
In partial returns at 8:15 p.m., Tran had won 72% of the votes counted versus 28% for Thomasson, an environmental consultant and former doctor.
“I am proud that we were able to bring together community members, leaders, and organizations from across Oregon to create change,” Train said in a statement Tuesday night. “Next year’s legislature will face big responsibilities, working to address homelessness, the rising price of housing and health care, climate change, and providing safety for all members of our community.”
The seat is currently held by former House Majority Leader Barbara Smith Warner, who waited until one day before the March 8 filing deadline to inform constituents that she wouldn’t seek reelection in the expansive and largely Democratic district, which encompasses the Parkrose, Sumner and Roseway neighborhoods and portions of Hollywood to the west and Montavilla to the south.
Tran, an alumnus of Emerge Oregon, which trains Democratic women to run for office, previously ran and lost in the 2012 Democratic primary for House District 47. Later that year, she was appointed to the Parkrose School Board and subsequently won election to a single two-year term. Since 2019, she has served as a board member for Family Forward Oregon. She is also a lieutenant colonel in the 142nd Medical Group at the Portland Air National Guard Base.
She said she grew up in a low-income household in Portland and would champion policies that support working families, including those that provide family leave and expanded access to childcare. She said she would also support policies that tackle homelessness, provide affordable housing and access to health care and address the threat of climate change. She said owning a business in the Hollywood neighborhood and her background on the Parkrose School Board has prepared her to represent a district that shifted east and added more diverse and working class constituents after redistricting.
Tran outraised Thomasson, bringing in about $73,000 and spending $47,000 on her campaign as of May 11, records show. She received $8,500 from the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, $5,000 each from the Oregon Optometric Public Affairs Council and the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems and $4,000 from the Women’s Investment Network PAC.
Thomasson raised nearly $40,000, including a $5,000 donation she made to her own campaign, and spent about $33,000 as of May 11, records show. Her campaign was funded almost entirely by contributions under $1,000 from individuals.
No Republicans filed to run in the district, meaning Tran will appear unopposed on the November ballot.