112 Days
Until the November 3rd Election
Our Recommendations for November
What Voting Blue means to us: We Steering Committee members are pragmatic progressives with no “purity or litmus tests” for our key issues. Rather, we will support the candidate that comes closest to our positions, which means that moderate Joe Biden is much preferred to fascist Donald Trump. And, electability matters; one can’t govern from the sidelines. Sometimes that means backing someone who looks less blue than their opponent, someone who is in a better position to be elected and actually help us. Finally, some candidates might want us to maintain our distance for political reasons specific to their constituencies. We respect that, so people we would otherwise recommend may be missing from this list.
Let’s flip Oregon Congressional District 2 and make Oregon’s DC delegation 100% Blue! **
President: Joe Biden
U.S. Senate: Jeff Merkley
**U.S. Congress CD2: Alex Spenser
Secretary of State: Shemia Fagan
State Treasurer: Tobias Read
State Attorney General: Ellen Rosenblum
State House District 5: Alberto Enriquez
State House District 6: Mary Middleton
Jackson County Commissioner: Terrie Martin
Watch this space; more to come.
***Today’s Call To Action**
JUST DO IT:
PASS THE HEROES ACT AS IS!
We are suffering through a catastrophic failure of leadership. COVID-19, economic collapse, horrific racist attacks and police brutality, sustained trauma from the worsening pandemic, voter suppression, and a lawless, traitorous president besiege us. All of us struggle, yet each crisis disproportionately harms Black, Indigenous and other Communities of Color because of centuries of racist and xenophobic policies.
No single piece of legislation can address everything. The Heroes Act provides: income support; extended enhanced unemployment insurance; rent and student loan forgiveness; funding for tests and PPE; funding for states and cities that were virtually bankrupted by Trump’s refusal to nationalize the medical supply chain and interference with medical supply purchases; vote-by-mail; and the Post Office — at half the cost of the #TrumpTaxScam benefiting Republicans and their wealthy donors. As usual, Trump’s GOP Senate refuses to consider the Heroes Act, saying there’s “no urgency.”
Continue to advocate for the Heroes, Justice in Policing and Voting Rights Expansion Acts. We must fund mental health care, and hold Trump and his GOP accountable for failing to protect and defend us and our Constitution.
Get Out The Vote to Defeat Them All!
**ACTION ONE: CALL OUR U.S. SENATORS**
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR SENATORS MERKLEY and WYDEN:
“My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Republicans are suddenly afraid of an electoral landslide; Meadows and Mnuchin have indicated willingness to negotiate more pandemic funding. Trump and his GOP senators and representatives, however, have consistently shown themselves to be untrustworthy and to care more for scoring political points than for our well-being. I urge the Senator to insist that the Heroes Act be passed as is. He should be leery of amendments or any new bill that originates in the Senate.
SENATOR JEFF MERKLEY
Portland: (503) 326-3386, DC: (202) 224-3753
Salem: (503) 362-8102, Eugene: (541) 465-6750
Medford: (541) 608-9102, Bend: (541) 318-1298
Pendleton: (541) 278-1129
https://www.merkley.senate.gov/contact/
SENATOR RON WYDEN
Portland: (503) 326-7525, DC: (202) 224-5244
Salem: (503) 589-4555, Eugene: (541) 431-0229
Medford: (541) 858-5122, Bend: (541) 330-9142
La Grande: (541) 960-7691
https://www.wyden.senate.gov/contact/
**ACTION TWO: CALL COMPLICIT GREG WALDEN**
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR WALDEN:
“My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [town/city], Oregon [zip code].
The Heroes Act provides assistance to individuals, states, and municipalities whose finances have been ruined by the Trump administration’s refusal to lead on COVID-19. It also includes funds for testing, PPE and protecting our vote. Tell Greg Walden to refuse any substitutions or amendments the Senate may send to the House.
Where’s Walden? History is watching; Greg’s legacy is at stake.
Thank you.”
COMPLICIT GREG WALDENDC (202) 225-6730, Medford: (541) 776-4646
Bend (541) 389-4408, La Grande (541) 624-2400
https://walden.house.gov/contact-greg/email-me
**ACTION THREE: BE AN ACTIVIST**
July 15, 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Ongoing every Monday, Wednesday and Friday
#MyORHealth Support is available for Oregon’s “helpers”
Lines for Life has created a Virtual Wellness Room to offer support to helpers, mental health professionals, first responders, social workers and anyone considered an essential worker during the COVID-19 pandemic in Oregon. Each check-in call will have a facilitator to guide the conversation.
“We at Lines for Life want to thank you for all the work you do to keep our communities safe,” the organization said. “We are offering a place for helpers to exchange stories of hope and areas of need. We especially want to hear what things are coming up for you personally and explore how we can cheer one another on to continue the good work you are already doing. We ultimately want to create space to breathe out stress and breathe in hope.”
The meetings are held using Zoom conference calls from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at this link: https://zoom.us/j/4848426773. Please share this invite with anyone in your network of Oregon helpers.
Ongoing Action: ORD2 Indivisible Virtual Postcard and Letter Writing Parties
Postcards to Voters:
Our postcard team is temporarily suspending the delivery of postcards to your door. However, the good news is that you will find everything you need to continue writing from home (including templates to print your own or purchase pre-printed cards) here: https://postcardstovoters.org
You can sign up through https://postcardstovoters.org/volunteer/
To avoid unnecessary trips to the post office, order stamps directly from the USPS:
https://store.usps.com/store/product/buy-stamps/coral-reefs-postcard-stamp-S_745104
…and voila, you’re ready to go! Send an e-mail to with any questions.
Letters to Voters
We encourage our team of volunteers to sign up with Swing Left to start writing letters to voters in 12 swing states. It is super easy to join. Check out their website, sign up, and let’s start writing! https://swingleft.org/
Send an e-mail to if you would like more information about how to get involved.
Virtual Letter-writing Parties
We encourage you to join virtual letter-writing parties hosted by Oregon Indivisible / Swing Left. The parties are held at noon every Saturday and on the last Tuesday of every month. Here are the links for the next two parties:
https://www.mobilize.us/swingleft/event/267146/
**Visit the ORD2 Indivisible Event Calendar on a regular basis to keep updated on local activities. Participate with us as often as you can. We also encourage you to submit events to be added to the ORD2 Indivisible Event Calendar and help us keep current with our event postings. https://ord2indivisible.org/submit-your-event/