Steve,

This morning Governor Tim Kaine, Chair of the Democratic National Committee, called me to congratulate us on bucking national trends by electing John Kitzhaber as Governor and re-electing our entire Democratic Congressional Delegation. He told me we are "a bright spot in a tough election."

Under the leadership of Trent Lutz, Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Oregon and campaign director of Oregon's Democratic Coordinated Campaign, we had an unparalleled field and volunteer plan that made all the difference in this campaign. We knew that races this close are decided by field campaigns and that if we worked hard every day to discuss the differences on the issues between John Kitzhaber and Chris Dudley, we'd bring our supporters home and win.

Here's the story: 

In mid-August, the Democratic Party of Oregon was called upon to mount an aggressive statewide field campaign that would persuade independents, solidify support among Democrats and get out the vote among low-likelihood voters.

With the generous support of Senator Ron Wyden, our Congressmen, and individual donors, the DPO was able to establish field offices and dispatch staff across the state to connect with volunteers like you and get the job done.

With your help and the help of dozens of partner organizations, we made a total of over 446,000 contacts by phone and over 303,000 door knocks. The result?

That’s the power of field operations and grassroots organizing. For months we worked to get the word out about John Kitzhaber and our Democratic candidates on the phones and at the doors, and Tuesday's victory was the fruit of those labors.

Thank you for everything that you did over the course of the campaign.

Yours in democracy,

Meredith Wood Smith
Chair, Democratic Party of Oregon

Paid for by the Democratic Party of Oregon • www.dpo.org • Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee