A message from Jeff Merkley

This morning I took the first step on an exciting journey for a better future for Oregon. I filed papers with the Secretary of the Senate to formally begin my campaign for the United States Senate.

I'm running for U.S. Senate because I believe we need to make some big changes in our country. And I believe George Bush and Gordon Smith are leading us in the wrong direction.

I'll be traveling around Oregon to officially announce my candidacy in a few weeks. But until then, let me tell you a little about myself.

I began my life in the small town of Myrtle Creek, Oregon, where my dad was a millwright at a lumber mill. When the mill closed, we moved to Roseburg, a Southern Oregon town where wood products were king. Like people in so many towns throughout Oregon, folks in Roseburg knew the value of hard work, honesty and strong families.

While still in grade school, my dad got a job as a heavy equipment mechanic in Portland. He took me to the grade school and said "Those doors are the doors to opportunity. Study hard and you can pursue any dream." My father passed away earlier this year, and now my wife Mary and I are trying to teach our two kids to value hard work and education the way he always did.

That's what my career in public service has always been about -- opening doors to new opportunities for all Oregonians.

The opportunity to learn and succeed. The opportunity to get decent medical care and live healthy lives. The opportunity to earn a decent wage that can support a family.

Oregon needs a new Senator who will work with our senior Senator, Ron Wyden -- not against him -- to solve the problems Oregonians care about.

We must restore sanity to America's foreign policy, and regain the respect our nation has lost because of the tragic mistakes George Bush and Gordon Smith have made in Iraq. It's time to bring our military men and women home to their families.

Congress should pass a commonsense plan to ensure that all Americans -- young and old, rich and poor -- receive quality health care.

You can count on me to help launch a strong federal effort to make the switch to clean, renewable energy, and halt our headlong rush toward destructive climate change.

Oregon needs a new U.S. Senator who will bring a real passion to the job. A passion for tax fairness, public education and for helping ordinary, everyday Oregonians achieve their aspirations and make their dreams come true.

I believe we can put the public interest before the special interests in our nation's capital again. I've spent my career in Oregon fighting for what matters for regular working families. Now, I'm ready to continue that fight in the U.S. Senate.

Gordon Smith is part of the problem in Washington. He promised to be our Senator, but he's working for big corporations and wealthy lobbyists instead. And make no mistake: Gordon Smith and his special-interest friends will raise millions of dollars to hide his record and confuse Oregon voters.

But I will fight for ordinary working families, not multi-millionaires. I will run a grassroots campaign with the participation of thousands of Oregonians. I hope you'll join us. Make a small donation to get us started, volunteer for the campaign, and sign up for my campaign updates.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be organizing my campaign. In a few weeks, I hope you'll join me as we kick off a campaign for new leadership in the U.S. Senate.

Together we can make a huge difference and get America headed in the right direction again! I look forward to working with you and for you.

Sincerely,

Jeff's Signature

Jeff Merkley
Democrat for U.S. Senate

P.S. Please add your email to our campaign list so we can update you as the campaign unfolds in the next few weeks.

Posted August 1, 2007
By Jeff Merkley, Spotlight

Jeff Merkley was born in the small town of Myrtle Creek, Oregon, the son of a sawmill worker. He's fought hard for working families in Oregon and he's ready to help lead America.

As Oregon's Speaker of the House, Jeff Merkley led one of the most effective, efficient and progressive legislative sessions in Oregon's history - with big achievements for schools, ethics, health care, jobs, alternative energy, and protections for working families.

Discover why Jeff Merkley is ready to lead.

From the Oregonian:

Merkley raced [quarter-midget cars] as a child, and once owned -- and crashed -- a Harley. He roomed with an impoverished family in Ghana as a teen, hitchhiked across Israel as a young man and went on, as he puts it, to help shut down one of Portland's worst crack alleys.

"I've lived," he says, "a pretty unconventional life."

Read the Oregonian profile of Jeff Merkley's life before politics.

Paid for by Jeff Merkley for Oregon