I would like to thank you one more time for standing with me during this campaign. I am proud of the race we ran. Even though the results were not what we were hoping for, I believe that every one of you deserves to feel proud as well.

Throughout this campaign I've been talking about the importance of electing more front-line community organizers to public office. I know that there are many committed people who work hard, with little recognition, to improve our neighborhoods. These people have an important first-hand knowledge of the everyday struggles of real people and some great ideas about how to make it better.

Unfortunately, many of them are discouraged from running for office. They don't know many major campaign contributors, they lack access to institutional support and often times they just don't know how to get started. I hope that by running I have helped to show that anyone who is passionate, committed and willing to work hard can be a serious candidate.

I also want to thank my two opponents Michael Dembrow and Jon Coney. They both ran good campaigns and brought up important issues. I appreciate Michael's willingness to stand up for working people and hope he will continue to do so as a State Representative. I believe Jon showed a lot of courage by campaigning on the important, but often overlooked, issue of revenue reform.

Finally, I want to ask all of my supporters not to be discouraged. This is a critical time for both the State of Oregon and our country. We need an active and engaged citizenry to help move us forward. There are many worthy candidates and causes that need your support. I would encourage you all to stay involved.

See you out there,


Cyreena