Thatcher was first elected to the Oregon House District 25 in 2004, representing the Keizer area. Early in her career, as the owner of the highway construction firm KT Contracting, she was well known as a critic of the Oregon Department of Transportation. In May 2005, Thatcher successfully sponsored a bill to limit public access to information about concealed handgun license. She was reelected in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012. In 2014, Thatcher chose to run for Oregon State Senate Seat 13, held by the retiring Larry George, rather than seek reelection to her house seat. Thatcher's 2014 campaign for State Senator got off to a strong start. She earned the endorsement of The Oregonian on October 9, 2014 and won the election. However, The Oregonian had revoked the endorsement the day after giving it due to newly released reports showing companies she owned had lied about expenses submitted to ODOT for repayment, and then was found destroying evidence when records were requested in court proceedings. The rulings ended with a $60,000 fine, and an assessment stating that while the company had willfully destroyed evidence, the resources needed to successfully prosecute a criminal case would require more than could be justified as an appropriate use. Thatcher was a delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention, where she cast her vote for Donald Trump as the nominee. While she initially was a Ted Cruz supporter, she came away from the convention supporting Trump for president, stating "I can honestly say I feel less uncomfortable with Trump." On February 10, 2020, Thatcher announced that she is running for the office of Oregon Secretary of State in the 2020 general election. As of 2017 this office is the only statewide office in Oregon held by Republicans, and as of the date of her announcement Thatcher is the only Republican candidate that has announced her candidacy.
Legislation
Thatcher serves on the Transparency advisory commission. She also currently sits on the General Government and Accountability Committee. Thatcher was one of several cosponsors of legislation in 2009 to establish an Oregon's first transparency website; the measure passed the Senate unanimously and was signed into law by the governor. Thatcher was a chief sponsor of legislation signed into law in 2011 that expanded Oregon's transparency web site to include economic development tax incentives, and in 2013 was a sponsor of legislation that required the state transparency website to post additional materials, such as minutes or summaries of public meetings, additional state contracts, and information on tax expenditures under Oregon Low Income Community Jobs Initiatives. Thatcher was the sponsor of subsequent successful legislation in 2015 and 2017 that expanded the material on the state transparency website. In 2017, Thatcher introduced a bill that would have required public universities and community colleges in Oregon to expel students convicted of rioting. Thatcher introduced similar legislation in 2011. From June 20, 2019, all 11 Republican state senators for Oregon, including Thatcher, refused to show up for work at the Oregon State Capitol, instead going into hiding, some even fleeing the state. Their aim was to prevent a vote on a cap-and-trade proposal that would dramatically lower greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to combat climate change. The Senate has 30 seats, but one seat was vacant at the time due to the recent death of Senator Jackie Winters. Without the Republican senators, the remaining 18 Democratic state senators could not reach a quorum of 20 to hold a vote.
