Old Business

Following the horrific acts of violence perpetrated against the people of Israel by Hamas terrorists on October 7th, the Young Democrats of Oregon Caucus issued a statement reaffirming our solidarity with Israel and our Jewish brothers and sisters in Oregon and around the world, and our condemnation of Hamas and their acts of terrorism. You can view the statement linked here. 

In the month since, we have all been following along as the ongoing conflict continues to take a terrible toll on Palestinian civilians in Gaza. We echo Senator Merkley’s sentiments: While Israel has the right and obligation to defend itself against Hamas, whose leadership continues to state clearly their goal is the complete annihilation of Israel, Israel also has the obligation, pursuant to international law, to conduct that defense in such a way as to minimize harm to civilians and allow humanitarian aid to reach those who are suffering. We support President Biden’s calls for short term tactical pauses to provide civilians with opportunities to safely depart from areas of ongoing fighting, to ensure assistance is reaching civilians in need, and to enable potential hostage releases. 

Finally, we affirm The Democratic Party of Oregon’s Platform, specifically Article 4: Foreign Policy & National Security which states, among other things:  

Young Democrats from across Oregon met up in Sunriver last month for the 12th Biennial Oregon Summit. Activists, staffers, candidates and elected officials spent the weekend networking, strategizing and preparing for the 2024 Election. 

A special thank you to Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, who invited the Young Democrats to Co-Host her Karaoke Party.

Last month, Congressman Earl Blumenauer announced he will not be seeking re-election to congress, or election to any other public office. 

But why do the Young Democrats care about one of Oregon’s oldest statesmen retiring? Because he has spent a lifetime making Oregon and the world a better place – and you can’t spend a lifetime doing this work if you don’t start when you’re young. 

Before he had even graduated from Lewis & Clark College, Earl Blumenauer led the Oregon “Go 19” Campaign, an effort to lower the state voting age from 21 to 19. While the campaign was unsuccessful, it supported the national trend that soon resulted in the Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which lowered the voting age to 18. 

By age 25, State Representative Earl Blumenauer was chair of the House Revenue Committee, and a champion of Oregon’s Cannabis Decriminalization, and State Land Use Planning laws. At Age 30, Earl was elected to the Multnomah County Commission, where he served for eight years before being elected to the Portland City Council in 1986. 

Congressman Blumenauer continues to mentor and support hundreds of staff, interns and elected officials who can be found at every level of government, and across a wide variety of topical expertise from infrastructure to agriculture and teaching to healthcare and everywhere in between. 

On behalf of Young Democrats all across Oregon, we deeply appreciate Congressman Blumenauer’s service and achievements over the last 50+ years.

New Business

As of November 5th, we are officially ONE-YEAR OUT from Election Day 2024! 

Make sure you have updated your contact preferences with us so you don’t miss out on any updates. We will be announcing more events, endorsements and campaign exclusives as the election cycle progresses. 

Caucus leadership are preparing for our Quarterly General Membership Meeting in Hillsboro on November 19th. You can preview the agenda here. Members are advised that a special election for Treasurer and State Central Committee (SCC) Alternate will occur. We encourage members to pre-register to help expedite verifying eligibility (registered to vote in Oregon, as a Democrat, under the age of 36) to run or vote in the special election.

Join us for a listening tour near you! All tour dates and sign up forms are online at bit.ly/YDORoadshow

11/18/23  2023 DPO Holiday Party

Please Join Us for the 2023 Democratic Party of Oregon Holiday Party!

RSVP Link

11/19/23: YDO 4th Quarter General Membership Meeting + Latino Caucus Event

Join Young Democrats from across the state for our quarterly general membership meeting in Washington County. Followed by a special session with the Latino Caucus!

RSVP Link