An Update From Pete Sorenson

Dear Progressive Oregonians,

Today is February 9, 2006, and we're now less than one month from the filing deadline in the governor's race. When I started campaigning for governor in January 2005 I didn't think this day would come, it just seemed so far away.

Through all of this, we've been true to our basic message: Oregon can do better with a progressive democrat governing our state. We’ve laid out a firm and fair critique on governor Kulongoski’s leadership. He strongly supported the Bush plans for the war in Iraq. He vetoed legislation that would have allowed the state's people and businesses to benefit from a publicly owned PGE. He followed in lock step with the Bush Administration by proposing a state Department of Homeland Security. He neglected our public schools, our environment, and the Oregon Health Plan, while catering to corporate interests and appointing Republican cronies to positions of power.

In this time we've also been giving Oregonians a hope for the future. I’ve proposed bold financing of public education at all levels. I’ve stood up for working families and Oregon’s 313,000 small businesses by promoting a sustainable and fair economy. I’ve talked openly about how we can come up with the money to fund health care for thousands of uninsured Oregonians, while lowering the cost of care for those who already have it. I’ve stressed the value of fighting for a more equitable tax system and for removing the corrupting power of special interests from Salem.

We are now in the last 100 days of this campaign. We need to redouble our efforts. We have a team of active volunteers in Portland now and we plan to kick off our canvassing efforts next weekend. We’re planning another round of houseparties to let people know the message I’m bringing to every corner of this state. I hope that if you haven’t already, you’ll get involved today. Please contact our campaign coordinator, Shane Kavanaugh, at info@petesorenson.com to let us know that you want to join us in working for a better Oregon.

Our campaign is about change and we are building a great support network. Please email us with your friends and colleagues email addresses. We need more names in our database. Remember, tell your friends that I am leading Kevin Mannix (46 to 35 percentage points, according to NewYork’s Zogby International) and we need only 180,000 votes to win this primary on May 16, 2006.

Keep the faith, and work hard. Thank you for everything you do.

Very Truly Yours,

Pete Sorenson