Another Successful Canvas

On Saturday, Mike and well over a dozen volunteers went out on a big canvas across Oregon City knocking on hundreds of doors and speaking with countless voters to find out what issues were most important to them.

From what we heard, many voters are simply fed up with the direction of this state, particularly as a result of the gridlock in Salem. The issues that the voters we spoke with would rather see the legislature and the governor deal with range from smart growth to fully funding education to helping ensure access to affordable healthcare -- three of the key issues that led Mike to get into this race.

If you are interested in participating in one of our future canvases or want to get involved in any other way, please sign up to volunteer here or make a donation here. Even a few hours of your time or a few dollars can make a huge difference and help send a message of change to Salem.

The Blogosphere Takes Note of Mike

DownWithTyranny, one of the big national bloggers, has posted an extended article on Mike detailing why he believes the Netroots should get involved in our campaign. I recommend you check it out if you have the time.

DownWithTyranny has also added Mike to Blue America fundraising page on Act Blue, which is maintained by DownWithTyranny, FireDogLake, and Crooks & Liars. Mike is now on the list alongside other Netroots heros like Jon Tester, Francine Busby and Jerry McNerney. Mike is also the first Oregonian chosen for the list and only the second canididate running for a state legislature.

Again, Mike is very excited about the involvement of the Netroots in his race. This campaign is about people-powered politics, which is a sharp contrast to the special interest-powered politics of Mike's opponent, Wayne Scott.

So thank you for your support in this campaign. With your help, we can elect Mike to the state legislature and send a message of change to Salem and across this country.

Mike Tops 100 Donors

Yesterday, two checks came by mail into the campaign office pushing the number of contributions that Mike has received during the course of the campaign so far over 100. Suffice it to say that Mike is very humbled to see such a level of support at this point in the campaign.

But even more than the sheer number of donations that have come into the campaign, Mike is excited by the types of contributions that have come in. Oregonians who haven't been active in politics for decades, and even some who have never been involved politically, are stepping forward to support the campaign. The median and the mode contributions to the campaign at this point are $25, showing that people are helping out however they can, regardless of their means.

If you, too, are interested in helping out with the campaign by funding campaign necessities like mailings, advertisements, polling and fliers, please visit our fundraising page to make a contribution. Every small amount counts and we will appreciate any level of support you are able to offer.

100 Days Canvas - Oregon City

On Saturday afternoon, we will be going out through the Oregon City community along with our state Sen. Kurt Schrader and County Commission candidate Lynn Peterson to canvas local voters. This is an ideal canvas for novice or first time canvassers as we will have many experienced folks on hand! Here are the details of the event (which is also up on our events page):

Time: Saturday, July 29 at 1:00 PM
Duration: 3 hours
Location: Peterson/Schrader campaign HQ
1017 Molalla Ave, Oregon City, OR 97045

If you can join us on Saturday, please click this link to RSVP or email us with your name, contact information and how many people in your group will be attending. If you'd like more information about the event, please give us a call at 503-557-1616. And if you are unable to attend on Saturday but still want to get involved in my campaign, you sign up to volunteer or make a secure online contribution.

Weekend Campaign Update

The campaign keeps moving along these days, and lot of great things happened in the campaign this past weekend.

On Friday evening, Mike met with a number of union members who were very interested in his effort to get elected this fall. Mike was extremely appreciative for the help a number of them were able to give to the campaign.

On Saturday and Sunday, Mike hit the ground and knocked on doors, canvassing throughout the district. He met a lot of great voters who asked him interesting questions, relayed their concerns about the community and encouraged him in his effort. By and large, Mike is finding that voters in this district are thirsty for representation in Salem who actually cares about their needs instead of the desires of the big special interests, and they are very surprised to see a candidate who is actually willing to take to the time to listen to their ideas for a change.

And on Sunday ActBlue, the online fundraising clearinghouse for Democrats and progressive causes, activated fundraising for non-federal candidates in Oregon for the first time. That means that we now have an even more efficient online fundraising tool that can be accessed at the "Contribute" tab above or at this link. If you are interested in putting a Mike Caudle fundraising button on your website or blog, please shoot us an email at mike@mikecaudle.com.

Welcoming Conservatives into the Tent

The latest Associated Press poll has some very interesting numbers regarding November's elections: close to a quarter of self-identifying conservative voters plan on backing a Democrat in their congressional district.

The AP-Ipsos survey asked 789 registered voters if the election for the House were held today, would they vote for the Democratic or Republican candidate in their district. Democrats were favored 51 percent to 40 percent.

Not surprisingly, 81 percent of self-described liberals said they would vote for the Democrat. Among moderates, though, 56 percent backed a Democrat in their district and almost a quarter of conservatives — 24 percent — said they will vote Democratic.

We fully welcome voters of all political stripes -- including conservatives -- to join our coalition for change this fall. This is a big tent campaign, not interested in catering to the big special interests in Salem but rather to the voters right here in Oregon City, Canby and Clackamas County.

Conservatives have great reason to be unhappy with developments in this state. There is nothing conservative about cutting state troopers, which Wayne Scott supported, or letting criminals off of probation, which was a direct result of inadequate funding. This is a campaign, however, about maintaining conservative and progressive values -- universal values -- like protecting families, maintaining homeland security, providing quality education, and enabling all Oregonians to achieve the American dream.

So when you fill out your ballot this fall, whether you consider yourself are a progressive, a liberal, a moderate, a conservative, a libertarian, or any other political persuasion, show your support for change by electing Mike Caudle to the state House of Representatives.

New Conservative Coalition in Oregon Has Abramoff Ties

This morning The Oregonian reports on a secretive meeting held by the Taxpayer Association of Oregon at which Republican gubernatorial candidate Kevin Mannix spoke. According to the article,

the coalition sometimes calls itself "Center Right," a group associated with national anti-tax activist Grover Norquist. A representative of Norquist's organization, Americans for Tax Reform, was at the meeting.

Norquist's group has contributed to petition drives for two potential measures on the November ballot that would restrict state spending and limit legislative terms. [emphasis added]

So who, exactly, is Grover Norquist, and what is Americans for Tax Reform? According to an article last month in The Washington Post, Norquist was a close friend to the convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and that there are allegations that Americans for Tax Reform acted as a conduit to hide political contributions.

Newly released documents in the Jack Abramoff investigation shed light on how the lobbyist secretly routed his clients' funds through tax-exempt organizations with the acquiescence of those in charge, including prominent conservative activist Grover Norquist.

The federal probe has brought a string of bribery-related charges and plea deals. The possible misuse of tax-exempt groups is also receiving investigators' attention, sources familiar with the matter said.

Among the organizations used by Abramoff was Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform. According to an investigative report on Abramoff's lobbying released last week by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, Americans for Tax Reform served as a "conduit" for funds that flowed from Abramoff's clients to surreptitiously finance grass-roots lobbying campaigns. As the money passed through, Norquist's organization kept a small cut, e-mails show. [emphasis added]

We do not need outside agitators coming into Oregon to foment discontent among voters -- especially Washington fatcats who were close allies of Jack Abramoff and even earned money from dealing with him.

The flow of money from Abramoff-ally Grover Norquist into Oregon must cause us to begin rethinking the campaign finance laws in our state. While Mike strongly believes in individuals' right to fully participate in the political process, he also believes that out-of-state power-brokers like Grover Norquist shouldn't be able to throw unlimited dollars into our elections.

[UPDATE]: The fact that Nevada businessman Loren Parks is dumping hundreds of thousands of dollars into Oregon ballot measures -- not to mention the gubernatorial campaign -- only underscores the need for reform. And since the entrenched career politicians in Salem are apparently unwilling or unable to get real reform accomplished, it's time to get some new blood into Salem, a person unencumbered by the ties to the big special interests. It's time to send Mike Caudle to Salem!

Another Photo of Mike in Action

Over on the events page, we have posted another photo of Mike in action at the General Canby Days celebration on the Fourth of July. Check out a small version below or a larger version with caption, along with other campaign photos, on the events page.

Photos of Mike at General Canby Days

Over in the events page of our website we have posted some photos from the Independence Day event we attended in Canby. Here are smaller versions of the photos (click the events link to see the full-size versions)...

What's New in the Campaign

The campaign is progressing very well these days, and there's really quite a bit going on.

This morning, I had the opportunity to meet with a top staffer for one of Oregon's great members of Congress who gave me some great advice and who also informed me of some very exciting campaign opportunities for the coming weeks (which I will certainly let you know about as soon as possible).

This week, Mike sent out a wave of campaign emails to supporters asking for donations, personal endorsements, and campaign volunteers. Again, the response we received was very positive.

And in another exciting piece of news, I have learned from the people who run ActBlue.com, the online fundraising platform for Democrats, that Oregon will soon be added to the list of states for which money can be raised online. Although you can currently donate online to our campaign through our platform that uses PayPal, the addition of ActBlue, which will be available at this link, is a very exciting development for our campaign.

Celebrating Independence Day

Yesterday Mike, the campaign volunteers and I had a great time at General Canby Days, the Fourth of July Celebration in Canby.

Mike and I got to the event in the early morning to set up our booth, which was situated directly between the Wildlife Safari and a free summer camp for underpriviledged youth. We both jumped a bit when an alligator (or was it a crockodile?) walked behind us as a part of the safari booth. (At least I was a bit startled.)

During the course of the day Mike, the volunteers and I handed out several dozen campaign fliers to people in attendence and the feedback from the Canby residents was really positive. Voters in House District 39 are thirsty for a change to the gridlock and the career politicians in Salem and they see Mike as a great new alternative.

In the afternoon, Mike and crew -- which included his wife, his daughter, his father and several of his nieces and nephews -- participated in the parade through the streets of Canby. With the kids riding in the bed of a Ford F250 pickup, Mike walked along and handed out gum and information to the many people who lined the streets. Many, many cheers could be heard when the group passed by.

Although both Mike and I ended up gettting a bit of a sunburn -- as campaign manager, I take full responsibility for not coming equipped with sunscreen -- all in all the event was a big success.

(Pictures to be posted in a future blog story.)

Weekend Campaign Roundup

This weekend was a busy one as always at the Mike Caudle campaign.

On Friday afternoon Mike and I held an orientation for our first two campaign interns, both of whom are extremely bright and eager to be involved. The training went well and we are very excited to have them as a part of the team.

On Saturday morning Mike and I were able to meet for a time with Ron Wyden, Oregon's very popular Democratic Senator. Mike and Senator Wyden talked about some of the key issues in this race and plans for the 4th of July, and I was able to talk shop with some of the Senator's staff.

On Saturday afternoon FuturePac, the Oregon House Democrats' political committee, threw a party in Portland for campaign managers. There I was able to compare tricks of the trade with other campaign staffers and got some great ideas that will help us get Mike elected this fall.

And on Sunday we were able to set up our online fundraising page with the great help of a campaign volunteer. Now, if you are interested in helping out the campaign financially you can do it from your own home without having to send a check through the mail.