Before I talk about Jeff Merkley, I want to say a word about Steve Novick. Steve has been a great progressive activist in Oregon. The work he's done on ballot measures and his work as a lawyer is incredibly admirable. He ran a great race and I expect to see a lot more from him in the future. All the Novick supporters should be proud of the race they ran, and the candidate they championed. If Merkley hadn't been the candidate running for the nomination, I would have been working side by side with you. That said, it's time to talk about our chosen candidate to fight Republican Gordon Smith; Jeff Merkley.
When I came to Oregon 6 1/2 years ago, the public schools were increasing the numbers of students per classroom and shortening the school year for students. A number of public schools were facing closures because of a funding crisis. The House was under longtime Republican rule and there were more payday lenders than Starbucks and McDonalds combined. When I came to Oregon, gay couples did not have the same rights as straight couples. House Speaker Jeff Merkley changed that and that's the kind of leadership you can expect from him as United States Senator from Oregon.
Merkley will be a Progressive Champion for Us
Jeff Merkley helped engineer a Democratic takeover in the Oregon House and became the most effective progressive House Speaker in decades. Under Jeff Merkley's leadership in the House we passed domestic partnerships and anti-discrimination legislation. 2/3 of the payday lenders have left the state because they can no long charge Oregonians a 500% interest rate. Merkley was able to pass legislation to create a savings account for public schools so when we're facing a crisis, we'll always be able to keep our schools open. Merkley helped pass an 18% increase in public education funding. Merkley led the greenest session in Oregon in the last 30 years. He championed an updated recycling bill, and passed a bill making Oregon garner 25% of their electricity from renewables by 2025 to name just a few. Merkley will become one of the leading political advocates on environmental issues in government if we can elect him to the Senate.
The Oregon Senate Race Needs Your Attention
Right now, we have a one vote majority in the Senate. We can't get much done and we're having a hard time getting Democrats to rally around progressive legislation. If we don't pick up more Senate seats we will not be able to pass progressive legislation. If you live in Oregon, please consider joining the Merkley Campaign. Will you Volunteer or spread the word about Jeff? How about joining a grassroots team for Merkley in your town. Let's get to work folks!
Gordon Smith has deep pockets but he doesn't have great poll numbers. The last head to head match up poll between Merkley and Smith, Merkley was within three points of Smith. Merkley has the right message and an impressive record that will blow Gordon Smith out of the water. However, we need to spread the word to Oregonians about what a great leader Jeff is, and expose Republican Gordon Smith as the faux moderate he is. Gordon Smith votes with Bush 90% of the time and left hardworking Oregonians in the dust when he helped block the employee free choice act. We need to be able to fight back against Smith's smears and take this seat away from the Republicans. I know there are a lot of races to focus on this year, but we Oregonians need your help. Will you consider donating to Jeff Merkley and help us send Gordon Smith back to Pendleton?
I'm excited to get this show on the road, aren't you? Time to unseat Smith and elect fightin' progressive Jeff Merkley to the U.S. Senate!