Basic Rights Oregon unites with Jeff Merkley
Posted by Carla Axtman on April 4, 2008
At the April 4th Portland City Club debate, Jeff Merkley announced that Basic Rights Oregon, one of Oregon's premier advocacy groups for equal rights, had endorsed his candidacy for U.S. Senate.
During the debate, Jeff told the story of how in the 2005 legislature, he went toe-to-toe with then House Speaker Karen Minnis (to the point where she threatened to have him removed from the chamber) on a bill to secure civil unions for gays and lesbians in Oregon.
BRO's endorsement is an integral part of Jeff Merkley's effort to build the largest grassroots movement in Oregon history. As Oregon's U.S. Senator, Jeff Merkley will continue the fight for equal rights for all Americans.
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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.
© 2008. Jeff Merkley for Oregon. P.O. Box 29136, Portland, OR 97296. 503-274-4439
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Comments
Very well-deserved.
I was curious why the endorsement of BRO toward a Senate candidate went to Jeff Merkley, not to Steve Novick. Why? I can't seem to really grasp that. Novick is more organized as an experinced activist than Merkley does.