Presidential elections grab headlines and attention, and while midterm elections — and primaries in particular — might seem less sexy, they need just as much voter attention.
The state of the world right now — from local homelessness to national COVID policies to the war in Ukraine and ongoing threat of climate change — is a nonstop reminder that whether or not you like politics, voting does matter, and the importance of the right and ability to vote cannot be overstated.
NATIONAL RACES
Democratic Primary
Congress
Senate
Ron Wyden, incumbent, Brent Thompson, William E Barlow III
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House
U.S. Representative, 4th District
Sami Al-Abdrabbuh, Doyle Canning, Val Hoyle, Andrew Kalloch, G. Tommy Smith, John Selker
Peter DeFazio leaving Congress is the end of an era. He’s managed to piss off both the right and the left while remaining in office and championing causes like reining in the use of predator poisons and improving transportation infrastructure. He’s endorsed Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle in the race for his 4th Congressional District seat — and so do we. Hoyle is known for being pro worker, pro labor and, like DeFazio, sometimes at odds with liberals and conservatives. To be honest, that’s what this district needs. It takes a special kind of politician to get votes in a congressional district that includes progressive Eugene and more right-leaning coastal communities. She’s got the guts and the know-how to get things done and to beat right-wing darling Alek “Dancing with the Stars” Skarlatos come fall.
As Hoyle tells us, “This is the time we need fighters, and I’m not going to stay on the sidelines.”