The Democratic Party of Lane County is a genuine grassroots organization. More than three hundred of your fellow citizens volunteer their time, talents and resources to promote Democratic candidates and causes, creating a better community for us all.
If you live in Lane County and are a registered Democrat, you are already a member!
Over two hundred years ago, our Party's founders decided that wealth and social status were not an entitlement to rule. They believed that wisdom and compassion could be found within every individual, and a stable government must be built upon a broad, popular base.
It is a vision Oregon Democrats share and promote vigorously, but it is not new. Oregon's progressive leanings were evident even before statehood.
At the start of the 21st Century we, the Democratic Party, can look back on a proud history. Not just the history of a political organization, but of a national vision. It is a vision based on the strength and power of millions of economically empowered, socially diverse, and politically active Americans.
That tradition continued with Oregon statehood in 1859. Our first governor, John Whitaker (1859-1862), was a Democrat, as were four of our first six governors.
Women's suffrage won an early victory in Oregon, when the state legislature approved the vote for woman in 1912, nearly a decade before the passage of the 19th amendment to the US Constitution.
In the 150 years since statehood, Oregon Democrats have often been among the first to champion key issues of national importance, including:
- Environmental protection
- Universal health care
- Protection of endangered species
- Rights of Native Americans
- Anti-pollution laws
- Common-sense handgun controls
- Right-to-die legislation
- Marriage Equality
Today, Democrats continue that fight with a firm commitment to the values that we all share as Americans: secure the nation; responsibly end the war in Iraq, and restore our moral standing in the world; free ourselves from the tyranny of oil once and for all; restore the Constitution and protect the civil rights and liberties of all Americans.
From the Florence coast to Oakridge in the east, the Democratic Party of Lane County continues Oregon's progressive traditions. Our platform principles guide us to be thoughtful stewards of the environment, to provide quality education for our children, to seek peaceful solutions to conflict, to defend individual rights, and to protect those who are unable to protect themselves.
If you would like to learn more about us, and what we stand for, please read Our Platform.
