Derrick Kitts

Derrick Kitts (born c. 1973) is a Republican politician from Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon. A native of Washington, he served two terms in the Oregon House of Representatives before giving up his seat in an unsuccessful bid for Congress in 2006.

Early life Kitts grew up in Puyallup, Washington, near Tacoma where he wrestled and played water polo in high school. He then attended Portland State University where he wrestled for the school. In 2001, he returned to Oregon and settled in Hillsboro where he planned to run for political office. The incumbent, Bruce Starr, ran for a seat in the Oregon State Senate. A complaint was filed against Kitts in October claiming he violated election laws. The complaint, filed by the chairman of the Washington County Democratic Central Committee, was also used as fodder in a mailer by the Democrat’s Future PAC, but was dismissed by the state as no violations were found.

During the 2003 legislature he introduced legislation that would require the state Capitol to install a High Tech Hall of Fame and legislation that would prohibit state employees from making more in salary than the governor. He served as vice-chairman of the House Business and Labor Committee during the session. It was also rumored during the session that he might also run for Congress to challenge Representative David Wu. He pleaded guilty to reckless driving and completed the diversion program. and again the complaint was rejected by the Oregon Government Standards and Practices Commission. During the 2005 legislature Kitts was elected as majority whip in the House, and after the session ended worked on Kevin Mannix’s gubernatorial campaign. Following the session in January 2006 he announced he would not run for re-election and would instead run for Congress in the First District, facing incumbent David Wu, a Democrat. The First District’s registered voters were 38 percent Democrats, 35 percent Republicans, and 24 percent unaffiliated.

Kitts lost to Wu in the election, but during the campaign, news broke about a trip to Hawaii which Kitts and other state legislators took in 2004. This triggered an inquiry by the ethics commission into a total of five trips paid for by the distributors in 2002 and 2004 between the seven legislators, with Kitts accused of not reporting a single trip. and $290 for failing to report a free round of golf while on the same trip. He was replaced in the Oregon House by Democrat David Edwards. By October 2007 Kitts was working for Pacific Lifestyle Homes and announced he was considering a run for mayor of Hillsboro in 2008. However, Jerry Willey ran unopposed in the November election to replace Tom Hughes.

Later life After leaving politics, he attended law school at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California. He was then admitted to practice law in Oregon in 2020 and opened a law firm in Oregon.

Electoral history