Before canvassing, volunteers and candidates pause for a photo Oct. 22 in Abany's Deerfield Park. We thank all our volunteers and candidates for their great work during the 2022 campaign season. (Powher Photography)
A letter from Linn County
Democrats Chair Jerred Taylor
Jerred Taylor
Nov. 15
Today marks one week after an extremely consequential election here in Linn County, in Oregon and across the nation. As results continue to come in, several races have been, or are very likely to be, called once final mail-in ballots are counted this evening (and for others, there is still work to do). We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to our candidates for stepping up and running in an environment that was projected to be challenging for Democrats up and down ballot.
We successfully elected Tina Kotek as governor, Christina Stephenson as BOLI Commissioner, and Val Hoyle to Congress for Oregon's 4th Congressional District. We re-elected Ron Wyden to the US Senate and Sara Gelser Blouinto the Oregon Senate. We appear to have won all three Albany City Council races with Stephanie Newton, Jackie Montague and Ramycia McGhee all currently leading by decent margins, and Michelle Steinhebel fended off a well-funded write-in campaign for Lebanon City Council. All four of the ballot measures that the Linn County Democrats endorsed also appear to be on their way to passing (but some are close). Ben Watts, Mary Cooke, Tami Cockeram, Cassie Cruze, Scott Bruslind, Ashley Pelton, and Michelle Emmons all ran fantastic campaigns and helped to move the needle throughout Linn County, and Jamie McLeod-Skinner inspired, motivated and activated so many people throughout the 5th Congressional District, and lifted the prospects for Democrats far beyond what they would have been without her on the ballot.
On behalf of the Linn County Democrats, thank you all for letting us get to know you, to work with you, to grow with you, and to be inspired by you.
I also want to celebrate each and every one of the folks who knocked doors for our candidates, knocked doors as Neighborhood leaders, made calls or texts to voters, wrote post cards, wrote letters to the editor, donated, staffed the office, observed drop boxes, observed ballot counting, or helped in some capacity throughout the campaign. Even though there were some hard heartaches this cycle, there is a lot for all of us to be proud of. Your efforts made a tremendous difference. Thank you!
Now, for some updates:
• The Linn County Democrats Reorganization Meeting will take place on January 5th at 6:30 PM in the Albany Public Library. This will be an in-person meeting to elect our Officers, State Central Committee Delegation, and Congressional Committee Delegation. If you are a Precinct Committee Person, please plan on attending this important meeting.
• By popular demand, we will be hosting a Democrat 101 (date/location TBD) for folks who are interested in learning how the Democratic Party is structured on the County, State and Federal level, and how Democrats in Linn County, our Precinct Committee People, Officers, and Delegation Members can make a difference in party politics. We'll plan on this taking place sometime before our reorganization meeting, so stay tuned!
• Our office space available through February, so if any folks would like to hold small meetings or use the space between now and then, let us know,
Again, thank you all for your hard work this election cycle, and thank you to our candidates!
In solidarity,
Jerred Taylor
Linn County Democrats Chair
Today marks one week after an extremely consequential election here in Linn County, in Oregon and across the nation. As results continue to come in, several races have been, or are very likely to be, called once final mail-in ballots are counted this evening (and for others, there is still work to do). We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to our candidates for stepping up and running in an environment that was projected to be challenging for Democrats up and down ballot.
We successfully elected Tina Kotek as governor, Christina Stephenson as BOLI Commissioner, and Val Hoyle to Congress for Oregon's 4th Congressional District. We re-elected Ron Wyden to the US Senate and Sara Gelser Blouinto the Oregon Senate. We appear to have won all three Albany City Council races with Stephanie Newton, Jackie Montague and Ramycia McGhee all currently leading by decent margins, and Michelle Steinhebel fended off a well-funded write-in campaign for Lebanon City Council. All four of the ballot measures that the Linn County Democrats endorsed also appear to be on their way to passing (but some are close). Ben Watts, Mary Cooke, Tami Cockeram, Cassie Cruze, Scott Bruslind, Ashley Pelton, and Michelle Emmons all ran fantastic campaigns and helped to move the needle throughout Linn County, and Jamie McLeod-Skinner inspired, motivated and activated so many people throughout the 5th Congressional District, and lifted the prospects for Democrats far beyond what they would have been without her on the ballot.
On behalf of the Linn County Democrats, thank you all for letting us get to know you, to work with you, to grow with you, and to be inspired by you.
I also want to celebrate each and every one of the folks who knocked doors for our candidates, knocked doors as Neighborhood leaders, made calls or texts to voters, wrote post cards, wrote letters to the editor, donated, staffed the office, observed drop boxes, observed ballot counting, or helped in some capacity throughout the campaign. Even though there were some hard heartaches this cycle, there is a lot for all of us to be proud of. Your efforts made a tremendous difference. Thank you!
Now, for some updates:
• The Linn County Democrats Reorganization Meeting will take place on January 5th at 6:30 PM in the Albany Public Library. This will be an in-person meeting to elect our Officers, State Central Committee Delegation, and Congressional Committee Delegation. If you are a Precinct Committee Person, please plan on attending this important meeting.
• By popular demand, we will be hosting a Democrat 101 (date/location TBD) for folks who are interested in learning how the Democratic Party is structured on the County, State and Federal level, and how Democrats in Linn County, our Precinct Committee People, Officers, and Delegation Members can make a difference in party politics. We'll plan on this taking place sometime before our reorganization meeting, so stay tuned!
• Our office space available through February, so if any folks would like to hold small meetings or use the space between now and then, let us know,
Again, thank you all for your hard work this election cycle, and thank you to our candidates!
In solidarity,
Jerred Taylor
Linn County Democrats Chair
Election results
GoFundMe donations to help Linn Dem Chris Smith
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A fundraiser through GoFundMe has been established to help Chris Smith, Linn County Democrats 2nd vice chair, who was displaced by an electrical fire Nov. 5 that caused significant damage to his Albany apartment. He has lost most of his possessions. Some items, including his guitars, that he put in temporary storage after the fire were stolen over the Veterans Day Weekend. He has found housing in Albany, but is between jobs and still facing financial challenges. Please consider helping Chris with a donation by clicking the link below. A big thank you to everyone who has donated so far.
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Election Night Watch Party
Fifty Dems, including three of our hard-working candidates, turned out for the Nov. 8 gathering at Dos Arbolitos in Lebanon.
The home stretch
Canvasses, Demonstrations for Democracy, fundraisers, ongoing work at the campaign office and other events brought our volunteers and candidates together in the lead-up to the Nov. 8 election. A big thank you to everyone who helped and contributed in so many ways.
Linn Dems office open by appointment
 Linn County Democrats officers at our office: from left, Susan Heath, third vice chair; Jerred Taylor, chair; and Paula Connaghan, ambassador.
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Our Linn County Democrats office at 820 Pacific Blvd S.E., Suite F, Albany will be open by appointment only in the coming months.. Linn County Democrats who would like to use the office, should contact Ambassador Paula Connaghan.
We're asking folks to dig deep to help us support the ongoing operations of the office space with a contribution to our office fund. Even a contribution of $5 per month from enough folks will help us keep things operational. 
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About the Linn County Democratic Central Committee
The Linn County Democratic Central Committee (LCDCC) of Oregon welcomes all those, regardless of party affiliation, who support our ideals. We’re an all-volunteer organization that works hard to elect Democrats to represent the people of Linn County at local, state and national levels. Our meetings are generally held on the first Thursday of the month at Albany Public Library, 2450 14th Ave. S.E., and on Zoom. The next meeting will be our reorganization meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5, at the library.
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