FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 21, 2018
NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon PAC Proudly Endorses Pro-Choice Candidates; Candidates Across Oregon Are Ready to Defend Reproductive Freedom
PORTLAND, OR – Today NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon‘s Political Action Committee (PAC) proudly announces endorsements for 54 candidates seeking office in November’s election for the Oregon State Legislature, as well as local races in Lane, Marion, and Washington counties. The announcement comes on the heels of a successful primary for pro-choice candidates, with six endorsed candidates winning their races outright, including Labor Commissioner-Elect Val Hoyle.
The endorsements come at a critical time, with NARAL supporters engaged in stopping Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Supreme Court and the No Cuts to Care campaign to defeat Measure 106 in Oregon. Nearly 40 of the endorsed candidates were directly involved in passage of 2017’s landmark Reproductive Health Equity Act, widely considered the most comprehensive and inclusive pro-choice state legislation in the country, and have pledged support for passing Paid Family and Medical Leave in 2019.
Congratulating each candidate on their endorsement, Grayson Dempsey, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon PAC, had this to say:
“We know Oregonians will vote their values this November and reaffirm that everyone should have access to reproductive health services, no matter how much money they make or how they are insured. We are thrilled to have 54 candidates ready to stand up to national and local assaults to our rights. Our endorsed candidates know that Oregonians need policies like Paid Family and Medical Leave that will support families—and not backdoor bans like Measure 106 that undermine an individual’s ability to make personal medical decisions.”
Natalie Sept, NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon’s PAC Chair said, “Oregon voters look to trusted organizations like ours to thoughtfully consider a candidate’s voting record and pledged support for our policy priorities. Our board takes this responsibility seriously and we are confident that our candidates will fight to put Oregon women and families first, upholding Oregon’s legacy as the most pro-choice state in the nation.”
NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon’s supporters and endorsed candidates will be celebrating the announcement tonight at NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon PAC’s Candidate Happy Hour at the Nightwood Society in Portland, Oregon.
The following candidates have been endorsed in the 2018 general election:
Statewide Races
Governor: Governor Kate Brown
Oregon State Senate
Senate President Peter Courtney (Senate District 11)
Senate District 4: Sen. Floyd Prozanski
Senate District 6: Sen. Lee Beyer
Senate District 7: Sen. James I. Manning Jr.
Senate District 8: Sen. Sara Gelser
Senate District 10: Deb Patterson
Senate District 13: Sarah Grider
Senate District 15: Sen. Chuck Riley
Senate District 17: Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward
Senate District 19: Sen. Rob Wagner
Senate District 20: Charles Gallia
Senate District 24: Shemia Fagan
Senate District 26: Chrissy Reitz
Oregon State House
House Speaker Tina Kotek (House District 44)
House District 5: Rep. Pam Marsh
House District 8: Rep. Paul Holvey
House District 9: Rep. Caddy McKeown
House District 10: Rep. David Gomberg
House District 11: Marty Wilde
House District 13: Rep. Nancy Nathanson
House District 14: Rep. Julie Fahey
House District 16: Rep. Dan Rayfield
House District 19: Mike Ellison
House District 20: Rep. Paul Evans
House District 22: Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon
House District 23: Danny Jaffer
House District 27: Rep. Sheri Malstrom
House District 28: Rep. Jeff Barker
House District 29: Rep. Susan McLain
House District 30: Rep. Janeen Sollman
House District 31: Rep. Brad Witt
House District 32: Tiffiny Mitchell
House District 33: Rep. Mitch Greenlick
House District 34: Rep. Ken Helm
House District 35: Rep. Margaret Doherty
House District 36: Rep. Jennifer Williamson
House District 37: Rachel Prusak
House District 38: Rep. Andrea Salinas
House District 40: Rep. Mark Meek
House District 41: Rep. Karin Power
House District 42: Rep. Rob Nosse
House District 43: Rep. Tawna Sanchez
House District 45: Rep. Barbara Smith Warner
House District 46: Rep. Alissa Keny-Guyer
House District 47: Rep. Diego Hernandez
House District 48: Rep. Jeff Reardon
House District 49: Rep. Chris Gorsek
House District 50: Rep. Carla Piluso
House District 51: Rep. Janelle Bynum
House District 52: Anna Williams
House District 53: Eileen Kiley
Washington County
County Chair: Kathryn Harrington
Marion County
County Commission, Position 2: Bill Burgess
Lane County
County Commission, Position 5: Heather Buch
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NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon PAC works to elect pro-choice candidates at every level of government. Through our cultivation of true champions, NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon works to advance the most progressive pro-choice policies in the nation. We educate our members and identified supporters, provide strategic advice to candidates, mobilize get out the vote efforts, and ensure that pro-choice policies are a top priority in local and state government.