It's official!

It’s official, Megen – My paperwork is filed with the Secretary of State and I’m running for re-election. I would be honored to earn your endorsement this year. Add your name to the growing list!

As a young girl, I never dreamed of running for office – I wanted to be a ballet dancer. But looking back now, I can see that I owe a great deal to my mother, a small business owner who filled our house with art and music, and taught us the value of education, hard work, and service to our community. The progressive values she instilled in me have been the foundation for my work and have made me a better mother, citizen, and public servant.

I carried those values with me when I found a job with Legal Aid as I worked my way through Lane Community College. The work we did at Legal Aid helped me see that a career in law would allow me to serve people in need, so I went on to earn Bachelor’s and law degrees at the University of Oregon. Thankfully, through a combination of loans, grants, and work-study programs, I graduated with a manageable amount of debt – an opportunity that is out of reach for too many today.

As an attorney, I dedicated myself to consumer protection, forging a career helping small business owners and standing up for consumers who were victims of unscrupulous practices.

And later, when my children were in public school, I spent a lot of time as a classroom volunteer. Seeing the challenges facing our public schools and knowing the formative role education played in my life ultimately led me to run for and serve in the state legislature. Strengthening education and creating opportunity have been the underpinnings of my work as a parent volunteer, a state legislator, and as a member of Congress.

Over the years I saw the need for more well-rounded education, and heard concerns from students, teachers, and parents about the need to reduce high-stakes testing. Those issues were at the top of my list of goals when I ran for Congress four years ago, and I’m proud to say that I recently served on the committee tasked with finalizing the new education law to replace No Child Left Behind. Not only did we make meaningful improvements to federal education policy, we also demonstrated that Congress can get things done when we work together.

And if we can make positive strides in K-12 education policy, we can certainly do more to:

reduce the cost of higher education;
support working families, women, and seniors;
increase retirement security;
protect the right of women to make their own health care decisions;
and take on climate change and preserve the planet for future generations.

My dedication to making our state, nation, and world a better place for our children, and the encouragement and support I get from people like you keep me going. Even in these challenging times, I’m eager to continue this work and to serve the people of Oregon.

With you by my side, I know we can continue to make progress. Thank you for standing with me.