Change. It's coming.

A note from Jeff Merkley:

Last week, we had a great kickoff to our campaign. Hundreds of Oregonians joined me as I announced my candidacy in Portland, Medford, Roseburg, Eugene, Corvallis, Newport, Lincoln City, and Salem. (And I'm looking forward to our Eastern and Central Oregon kickoff in a few weeks!)

Here's the video of our campaign kickoff:

Let there be no doubt: Together, we will build the largest grassroots campaign in the history of Oregon. And we're off to a great start - with hundreds of volunteers and donors in every corner of our state.

This is a fight for the soul of our country. Will America be a place where the powerful become more powerful, and where the wealthy become wealthier? Or will America be a place where every family deserves quality education, universal health care, good jobs, and a clean environment?

Will this be a country that serves opportunism for the few - or one that creates opportunity for all?

With Gordon Smith in the U.S. Senate, America has been headed in the wrong direction, with tax giveaways for oil companies, tax breaks for pharmaceutical companies, tax shelters for off-shore millionaires.

To change that, I need your help.

In the U.S. Senate, I'll fight for health care for every American, family wage jobs, energy independence, and world-class education - and I'll fight to get our troops home from Iraq.

To do that, I need your help.

In the coming months, I know you'll help by knocking on doors, displaying lawn signs, writing letters, making phone calls, and telling everyone you know. Your time and talent will be critical.

But right now, a small contribution will go a long way. On September 30, we'll close the books on our first quarter. We've been in this race for only a few short weeks - it's critical that we show early momentum.

Together, we will build a movement that will change our state and our nation. We'll have more volunteers, more lawn signs, more grassroots organizations than have ever been seen in Oregon -- and I'm hoping we'll have more donors, too.

Gordon Smith will rely on a small number of corporate special interests and wealthy donors. I'm counting on you.

I hope you'll make a commitment to this campaign of $20, $35, $50, $100, or more.

With your help, we will put America back on track.

Jeff Merkley

Posted September 25, 2007
By Jeff Merkley, Spotlight, Video