Oregon — 3rd District

Maxine Dexter

Supports expansion of affordable housing investments

Dexter views safe housing as a fundamental right and prioritized addressing Oregon's housing shortage while serving in the state legislature. She advocates for federal funding to expand shelter capacity, rental assistance, and first-time homebuyer support while incentivizing green modular construction.

• Chaired Oregon House Committee on Housing and Homelessness, passing $200 million and $376 million housing packages
• Supports expanding Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), HOME program, and National Housing Trust Fund
• Proposes federal grants for innovative affordable housing and down payment assistance for first-time buyers
• Advocates for multi-generational housing and programs allowing medically complex seniors to age in place

“Safe housing should be a fundamental right, and it pains me to witness the harsh reality of many Oregonians living on the streets.”

Maxine Dexter

Supports universal healthcare and single-payer system

As a pulmonary and critical care physician, Dexter treats healthcare as a human right and champions a transition toward a single-payer healthcare system. Her platform emphasizes lowering prescription drug prices, expanding Medicaid, regulating private equity in health systems, and reinforcing preventative and primary care.

• Pushes for single-payer model including behavioral health, vision, dental, and prescription coverage
• Advocates capping prescription drug costs and allowing Medicare to negotiate all drug prices
• Supported Oregon legislation capping insulin costs and expanding Medicaid benefits regardless of immigration status
• Proposes strict regulation of pharmacy benefit managers and private equity investors in healthcare

“As a pulmonary and critical care physician, I've spent over two decades caring for the sickest members of our community.”

Maxine Dexter

Supports public health treatment and fentanyl restrictions

Dexter treats addiction and mental health as public health crises requiring expanded medical infrastructure and harm reduction. In the legislature, she championed opioid harm reduction packages while backing revisions to Oregon's Measure 110 to address public drug use and increase treatment access.

• Championed state Opioid Harm Reduction Package expanding access to naloxone and treatment programs
• Supported modifications to Oregon Measure 110 to curb public drug use and steer individuals into care
• Proposes federal investments in detox beds, Medication Assisted Therapy (MAT), and school mental health resources
• Advocates closing the de minimis trade loophole to disrupt international fentanyl supply chains

“The addiction and mental health crises are public health crises.”

Maxine Dexter

Supports federal abortion rights protection

Dexter frames access to reproductive healthcare and abortion as essential personal decisions between patients and doctors. She advocates codifying abortion rights into federal law and protecting healthcare providers from legal liability across state lines.

• Supports federal legislation protecting access to abortion and reproductive healthcare nationwide
• Supported state laws protecting medical professionals providing abortion and gender-affirming care from out-of-state prosecution
• Advocates expanding medical education programs that train clinicians in abortion care

“As a woman and a physician I am uniquely able to lead on this issue and as a mother I am determined to protect the rights of my children.”

Maxine Dexter

Supports Green New Deal and renewable transition

Dexter connects environmental policy directly to public health, highlighting the impact of air pollution and extreme heat on pulmonary health. She advocates for a national Green New Deal, rapid transition to clean electricity, and bans on new fossil fuel infrastructure.

• Supports enacting a Green New Deal and achieving 100% clean electricity nationwide
• Calls for banning new fossil fuel infrastructure on public lands and offshore
• Advocates banning forever PFAS chemicals and expanding right-to-repair consumer laws
• Supported Oregon's Climate Protection Program requiring 90% greenhouse gas reductions by 2050

“I will champion a swift transition to 100% renewable energy sources to eliminate our reliance on fossil fuels.”

Maxine Dexter

Supports stricter federal firearm regulations

Endorsed by Everytown for Gun Safety, Dexter approaches gun violence as a major healthcare and safety crisis. Her platform includes reauthorizing federal assault weapon bans, universal background checks, and state red flag laws.

• Supported state legislation banning un-serialized ghost guns and establishing safe storage mandates
• Advocates reauthorizing the federal assault weapons ban and closing the Charleston loophole
• Supports universal federal background checks and funding state red flag intervention laws
• Pushes for legislation prohibiting domestic abusers under final restraining orders from possessing firearms

“As a healthcare professional, I've witnessed the heartbreaking impact of gun violence on families and communities.”

Maxine Dexter

Supports labor unions and progressive taxation

Drawing on her background as a former UFCW union member, Dexter focuses on strengthening organized labor and raising wage standards for working families. She supports the federal PRO Act, increasing the minimum wage, and requiring corporations and high earners to pay higher taxes.

• Supports passing the PRO Act to protect worker unionization and collective bargaining rights
• Advocates raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, indexing it to inflation, and eliminating tipped sub-minimum wages
• Proposes closing corporate tax loopholes to make billionaires pay a higher share of taxes
• Backs nationwide paid family and medical leave programs for all workers

“As a former UFCW union member and the granddaughter of a Teamster, I personally understand the struggles of the working class.”

Maxine Dexter

Supports public education funding and debt relief

Dexter attributes her path from a working-class background to medical school to public education and advocates expanding public investments from pre-K through college. She supports universal pre-K, debt-free community college, and broad student loan cancellation.

• Advocates for universal pre-K nationwide and tuition-free public community colleges
• Supports broad student loan debt cancellation and refinancing options
• Calls for increased Title I funding and full funding for IDEA supporting students with disabilities
• Supports federal funding for free universal school meals and public school facility modernization

“I would never have gotten where I am today without a high-quality public education system and affordable higher education.”

Maxine Dexter

Supports voting rights expansion and campaign finance reform

Dexter promotes structural democracy reforms to increase voter participation and reduce corporate influence in elections. In the 119th Congress, she voted against the SAVE Act (H.R. 22) and advocates for federal voting rights legislation, ending Citizens United, and expanding vote-by-mail.

• Voted Nay on the SAVE Act (H.R. 22) requiring documentary proof of citizenship for voting registration
• Supports passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the For the People Act
• Advocates overturning Citizens United, expanding national vote-by-mail, and abolishing the Electoral College
• Supports granting statehood to Washington D.C.

“I believe in the fundamental power of democracy and the imperative of safeguarding every American's right to vote freely and fairly.”

Maxine Dexter

Supports expanding Social Security and Medicare benefits

Dexter opposes any attempts to privatize Social Security or raise the retirement age. She proposes eliminating the Social Security payroll tax cap to protect solvency and expanding Medicare coverage to include dental, vision, hearing, and long-term care.

• Opposes privatization of Social Security and blocks attempts to raise the retirement age
• Advocates eliminating the Social Security tax cap to guarantee long-term solvency
• Supports expanding Medicare to cover vision, dental, hearing, and mental health services
• Proposes adding a universal long-term care benefit to Medicare and increasing funding for home-based care

“Our aging neighbors should never have to fear the cost of their next prescription or worry whether they can afford safe housing or healthy food.”

Maxine Dexter

Supports federal anti-discrimination protections

Dexter advocates for federal civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ individuals and opposes state-level legal restrictions on transgender care. In the state legislature, she supported removing the gay panic defense and extending access to gender-affirming care.

• Supports passing the federal Equality Act to prohibit discrimination in housing and employment
• Proposes nationwide prohibition of conversion therapy
• Advocates expanding access to PEP, PrEP, and gender-affirming healthcare
• Supported state legislation eliminating the gay panic legal defense in Oregon

“Now, more than ever, it is crucial to promote policies that protect their health and well-being, ensuring access to necessary treatments and advocating for a society that embraces equality and justice for all.”

Maxine Dexter

Supports oversight of detention facilities and immigrant health

Dexter emphasizes humane treatment for immigrants and rigorous congressional oversight of federal immigration enforcement. In 2026, she conducted oversight into the Office of Refugee Resettlement's care for pregnant minors and attempted inspections of ICE detention facilities in Texas.

• Investigated Office of Refugee Resettlement policies regarding pregnant unaccompanied minors
• Attempted congressional inspections of federal ICE detention facilities in Texas
• Supported Oregon legislation expanding healthcare access regardless of immigration status