Background
Barton grew up in Oregon and attended Stanford University, where he earned a bachelor"s degree in political science, and a master"s degree in sociology in 2002 at Queens" College, Cambridge.
Barton grew up in Oregon and attended Stanford University, where he earned a bachelor"s degree in political science, and a master"s degree in sociology in 2002 at Queens" College, Cambridge.
Stanford University; Harvard Law School.
He was elected in 2008 to the Oregon House of Representatives, representing District 51, which encompasses parts of Clackamas County and Multnomah County, and includes all or part of the cities of Boring, Clackamas, Damascus, Estacada, and Oregon City. In the 2010 election, Barton ran unsuccessfully for the Oregon State Senate, declining to run for reelection to his House seat. In 2012, he ran again for the House, this time defeating Republican Steve Newgard with 51% of the vote.
His father, William A. Barton, has been considered one of the best lawyers in America in several areas of law, and is known for representing a plaintiff in a high-profile case against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland.
While at Stanford, Brent served as an aide for Oregon Congresswoman Darlene Hooley. He was also a White House intern in 2000 between his sophomore and junior years.
Barton went on to earn a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, then returned to Oregon where he worked as a criminal prosecutor, volunteered as a high school teacher, and served on the board of directors of the Oregon Business Project. In 2007, he was hired to the litigation department of the Portland office of the Perkins Coie law firm.
In 2008, Barton was unopposed for the Democratic nomination for House District 51 and faced incumbent Linda Flores in the general election.
During the campaign Flores accused him of exaggeration regarding his time as criminal prosecutor while at Harvard Law. In the 2009 session, Barton served on the Judiciary and Consumer Protection committees, and as Vice-Chair of the Business and Labor Committee. In 2010, Barton ran for the Oregon State Senate seat in District 26 vacated by retiring Senator Rick Metsger, but lost to Republican candidate Chuck Thomsen 47% to 53%.
Barton ran for a House seat again in 2012.
He was again unopposed for the Democratic nomination for House District 40, and defeated Republican Steve Newgard in the general election.