Dear Voornaam,

We only have 89 days to elect Tina Kotek and make sure that neither an anti-choice extremist nor a candidate who struggles to condemn the Confederate Flag will serve as the next governor of Oregon.

Republican candidate for governor Christina Drazan voted against every single piece of reproductive rights legislation during her time in the Oregon legislature and is endorsed by the extremists at Oregon Right to Life, while unaffiliated candidate for governor Betsy Johnson struggled to condemn the presence of Confederate flags at her rallies, including passing the blame onto rural Oregonians.

Johnson’s comments about the Confederate flag were so disturbing to me as a Democrat and lifelong civil rights, social justice advocate, that I wrote an op-ed in The Skanner – which you can read here – explaining:

Betsy has it all wrong. The majority of Oregonians, including our rural communities, value inclusion and unity, not racism and bigotry. The irony is simply overwhelming, coming from a candidate who professes to run a campaign of accountability and unity when, instead, she continues to drive a wedge between our communities.

We’re less than three months away from Election Day. The Democratic Party of Oregon has proven that we know how to win tough elections. It’s all about “people power,” human beings talking to other human beings at their front doors or over the phone. That is how we cut through the lies that people read on social media or see on Fox News.

We need you, Voornaam. Will you please sign up to make phone calls to voters or knock on their doors?

We only have 89 days to elect Senator Ron Wyden, Tina Kotek as Governor, Christina Stephenson as Labor Commissioner, and Democrats in six(!) Oregon congressional districts. It’s an “all-hands-on-deck” moment, and we need you to pitch in with a shift or two over the next few weeks to reach the voters we need.

Yours in the fight for democracy,

Rosa Colquitt, PhD
Democratic Party of Oregon, Vice Chair 
Chair, Democratic Party of Oregon Black Caucus