CORBETT — David Osborn reached out and offered his congratulations to Hank Sanders after the HD 52 race was called. He also thanked his family, campaign volunteers, donors, and supporters for helping build a campaign rooted in grassroots organizing and a clear vision for what Oregon families need. He thanked the organizations and elected leaders who supported the campaign, including Senator Khanh Pham, Representative Mark Gamba, former Representative Anna Williams, the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, the Working Families Party, East County Rising, the Sierra Club, the American Federation of Teachers, and many others.
“This campaign was always a collective effort, and I am deeply proud of the work we did together,” Osborn said. “Even though we lost, we did essential work. We advocated strongly for an economy that works for everyday Oregonians and the action we need on pressing environmental issues, and that matters, especially right now.”
Osborn’s campaign raised more than $60,000 and organized one of the strongest field efforts seen in an HD 52 Democratic primary, knocking on 7,000 doors and making over 30,000 phone calls. The campaign focused on direct voter contact, coalition building, and a message centered on care and affordability through public investment in education, healthcare, housing, childcare, climate action, wildfire protection, and environmental restoration.
“This campaign has always been about refusing the false choices presented to us and choosing what we actually need for our communities to thrive,” said Osborn. “We put forward a vision of healthcare for everyone, affordable housing, fully funded preschool, strong, quality education from K-12 through higher education, wildfire protection, restoration of forests and rivers, and climate action that meets the reality of this moment.”
Osborn emphasized that while the campaign did not win, the work it represented remains necessary.
“Even though we did not win tonight, we still need this kind of politics,” Osborn said. “We were part of pushing back against the failure of status quo politics to support working people and meet the environmental challenges before us. What I know from this experience is that we have to demand what we actually need, we have to try for it, even when we do not know the outcome. When we do, possibilities open up as I’m sure they will from our work in this campaign.”
Commented