Ben Unger

Unger was born on March 4, 1976, in Cornelius, Oregon, and was raised on a farm south of the city.^[3] After graduating from Hillsboro High School in 1994,^[4][5] Unger earned his BA degree in English from the University of Oregon.^[3] Prior to entering politics, he worked as a special assistant to the Oregon Attorney General.

In 2012, Unger won the District 29 Democratic Primary with 65.2% of the vote against Katie Riley.^[6] He won the November 6 General election with 11,312 votes (53.5%) against Republican nominee Katie Eyre.^[7] Unger was endorsed by a local newspaper, the Forest Grove News Times, and many other groups such as the Oregon Council of Police Associations, the Oregon State Council of Retired Citizens, and the Oregon League of Conservation Voters.^[8] During his run against Eyre, he was portrayed as a carpetbagger for moving back to the district from Portland to run for the seat.^[9] The Forest Grove News Times ran an article pointing out inaccuracies in those attacks, and referenced them as one of the reasons they chose to endorse Unger.^[10][11] Unger, who grew up on his families' Century Farm, emphasized supporting local schools in his campaign.^[12][13]

In 2014, he announced he would not run for re-election, and in June 2014 became the executive director of lobby group Our Oregon,^[14] where he served until 2018.^[15] Unger was succeeded by former Metro councilor Susan McLain, also a Democrat.^[16]