Last Chance! Help Earl Decide...

Kari Chisholm

Today's the day. At 8 p.m., the polls will close.

No, not election day -- that's coming up in just 10 short, short weeks. But, at 8 p.m. today, the voting ends over at Help Earl Decide.

There are ten great candidates -- five incumbents and five newcomers -- each facing a tough, tough campaign. If all ten win their campaigns, we'll swing the Oregon House, and win a 31-27 31-29 majority. Under the leadership of Speaker Jeff Merkley, we'll finally see some progressive policy change come from the Oregon House.

Who are the ten candidates? In random order...

• Jean Cowan is a three-term county commissioner, a health-care policy expert, and a second-time candidate taking on incumbent Rep. Alan Brown -- who has won election the last two times with less than 51% of the vote.

• Tobias Read is a first-time candidate running in an open seat against a Republican who is dropping huge amounts of family money to win this Democratic seat. Tobias is focused on education, health care, and economic growth. I've known Tobias for over ten years, the guy is a committed progressive, and it's hard to find anyone working harder ton win (except on this page.)

• State Rep. Chuck Riley has a tough battle to win re-election, having won with only 48% of the vote in 2004. He's a retired small business owner and is well-known for his bipartisan support across his district.

• Rob Brading, of course, is the guy working to take down Speaker Karen Minnis. With little money and little support, he managed 47% in 2004 -- and now he's leading a grassroots movement to take back the House. As Thom Hartmann said this morning on KPOJ, "It's not just that Karen Minnis is so bad, Rob Brading is a really good guy" and will be a great state legislator.

• State Rep. Larry Galizio won a five-way race in 2004 with only 48% of the vote. He's the first Democrat in years to hold his suburban swing district - and yet he's a fighting Democrat who's working hard to make progressive change.

• Brian Clem is taking on sleazeball legislator Billy Dalto and is running hard to win. Brian was student body president at Oregon State, an aide to Senator Ron Wyden, founded his own successful small business, and served his community on the Oregon Student Assistance Commission and as the president of the Salem City Club. I've known Brian for over ten years, and he's exactly the kind of guy we want in the legislature - hard-working, progressive, and committed to real change.

• State Rep. Deborah Boone represents the area around Cannon Beach. Usually held by Democrats, her district is always a close one. In 2004, she won with 49.9% of the vote.

• State Rep. Betty Komp holds a seat that's typically won by Republicans - though she pulled a strong 55% of the vote in 2004. She knows personally what it's like to grow up poor in her district - and she's focused on economic development and a strong school system for her community.

• Chris Edwards is running against Rep. Debi Farr - a classic me-too right-winger. As a small business owner, Chris understands what rising health care costs are doing to our state's economy - and how they are creating our school funding crisis.

• State Rep. Arnie Roblan stood strong when the GOP leadership threatened him over a school funding budget vote. He was a principal and teacher for years before serving in the legislature - and is a key voice for stable, well-funded schools.

So, today's your last chance to vote and Help Earl Decide. Visit the site, read through their bios - and pick four to support. You'll help 'em earn $1000 each from Blumenauer for Congress -- and while you're there, check the box to volunteer for the campaigns you support.

Together, we can do this.

[Full disclosure - I built EarlBlumenauer.com, including Help Earl Decide, but I don't speak for Congressman Blumenauer or his campaign. I also built the websites for Chris Edwards, Tobias Read, Jean Cowan, and Brian Clem, but I don't speak for them either.]

By Kari Chisholm Aug. 29, 2006