I’m not usually any kind of elections pundit, but of course this year all norms have been broken. So I’m not sure of the norms for introducing my Congressman to Kossacks and asking for support. I see that his campaign has been briefly mentioned in election summaries, and it was noted that the 4th Congressional district has moved from “safely Dem” to “likely Dem” — and yet, I have seen no call on Daily Kos to help Peter DeFazio beat back the clearly dark money pouring in to install a young man who did something heroic on a train in Paris into a very important House seat!
Peter DeFazio (who’s been endorsed by Obama) has served Oregon’s central Willamette Valley in Congress since 1987. He works in a bipartisan way, balancing between the liberals and conservatives of the district. I moved to Oregon 2 years before Peter started, and I know the polarization has gotten almost too much to handle, but DeFazio does a good job (and, I must say, a FAR better one than a young man who knows how to stop a knife, but has never served in office could do!) This area has serious issues, even before the wildfires devastated vast swatches of the district. Along with our state senators, Peter fought like fury to get funding for timber communities when it was desperately needed. He is now Chair of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, which he’s served on since he got to Congress (so you can tell how near to his heart it is) and we (Oregonians AND Democrats country-wide) can’t afford to lose him just when he’s gotten the ability to act. He has a powerful program of infrastructure repair and improvement that a Biden White House could implement — the Rethugs have blocked it at every turn, as you can imagine. (Oh, and his opponent is against COVID relief payments and Obamacare, reliable Rethug that he is.)
He supports a $15 minimum wage, the Green New Deal, abortion rights, has called for an increase in Social Security and Medicare, and is dedicated to overthrowing Citizens United… and you can see his positions on many issues here: www.defazioforcongress.org
From his website (so I don’t get details wrong):
DeFazio has served on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee since he came to Congress, including as Chairman or Ranking Member of four of the six subcommittees... In 2014, DeFazio was elected to the powerful position of Ranking Member on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Coast Guard, highways and transit, water resources, railroads, aviation, and economic development. DeFazio will continue to fight for investments that result in job creation, increased safety, economic efficiency and strategic growth.
As the top Democrat on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, DeFazio was most recently instrumental in passing the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization of 2018, which includes critical safety improvements and consumer protections, and the Water Resources Development Act of 2018, which will allow for improvements to our Nation’s ports, inland waterways, locks, dams, flood protection, and ecosystem restoration. In addition, DeFazio has introduced a long-term solution to replenish the Highway Trust Fund.
Peter was an early target of a Super PAC in 2010 which aired attack ads in Oregon eight months after the Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court decision. It was later disclosed that the funds were derived from one individual, Wall Street billionaire Robert Mercer who has spent $1.78 million against DeFazio since 2010.
DeFazio has voted against every congressional pay raise and has refused to accept raises. Instead, he uses the money to fund scholarships at five Oregon community colleges because he believes that everyone should have access to education without crippling debt. By the end of 2018, DeFazio will have funded 270 scholarships.
The most galling part of this is that the PUSH to oust Peter is coming from BIG MONEY, not from Oregonians! As he mentioned in a recent email:
Alek Skarlatos is relying on out-of-state donations to flood this district. In fact, more than 84% – about 17 of every 20 – of Alek's individual contributions came from out of state. Why? Because he's way, way out of touch with working people here in southwest Oregon. Ted Cruz has donated $75,000 so far to mislead the people of Oregon's Fourth Congressional District.
Skarlatos is going to outspend us 3 to 1. That's what makes these last couple of weeks so important.
It boils my blood to think that Ted Cruz is f*cking with MY district, but I’m on Disability, and can’t donate that kind of money. I figured I’d write this diary instead.
There is a fun opportunity coming up to join Peter and hear what he has to say about the issues:
Are you available at 5 p.m. PDT on Tuesday, October 20?
We're hosting a virtual event for our incredible grassroots donors and we've invited one of Peter's most enthusiastic supporters – TV star Kelly Aucoin (Billions, The Americans, House of Cards, and more)! We'd love it if you could join us!
Please know that, while contributions are always appreciated, you absolutely do not need to in order to attend the event. Just RSVP to Sophia atsophia@defazioforcongress.org.
I hope that Kossacks will step up and DONATE to help push back against the Rethug attempt to install a novice figurehead in Oregon’s 4th District, one who will vote Rethug all the way… even if the House stays safely Democrat, we can’t afford to lose Peter DeFazio!
I just got this: Peter DeFazio debated Alek Skalatos earlier this week:
