Taproot Lounge and Cafe
356 State Street, Salem
Tuesday, March 3, 4:30 to 6:30
Micki Varney, candidate for city council
and Vanessa Nordyke, candidate for mayor
Join like-minded progressive friends and meet Micki and Vanessa in a small group setting
This is how we win — by knocking on doors and talking to friendly voters who vote Progressive. We’ll be doing it every Saturday and Sunday until the election in May.
On Saturdays at 10 am
Meet at the Marion County Democrats Headquarters
245 High St. NE Across from the Transit Mall
We canvass for Vanesa Nordkye for Mayor and for Linda Nishioka, Mai Vang, and Micki Varney for City Council
On Sundays at 1 pm
Canvass for Dave Inbody in Ward 4
Go here to sign up as a volunteer for Dave and get more information
If you are new to canvassing we can pair you up with an experienced canvasser. Please join us!
After founding and leading the political action organization Progressive Salem for more than a decade, Tina Calos will step back and turn over the Chairpersonship to Chris Hoy.
Progressive Salem was founded in 2015 after a group of Progressives led by Calos successfully elected Tom Andersen to the Salem City Council in 2014. Andersen won a tough victory in a three-way race and in 2015 became the only Progressive on the Salem City Council that had been dominated for years by special interest candidates.
“Tom was our proof of concept,” said Calos. “In his race we proved that organized people could beat organized money.” By recruiting motivated volunteers to go door to door and talk to voters, Progressives showed that they could win, even when being heavily outspent by their opposition.
Progressive Salem took that winning formula and went on to win 16 City Council elections, beginning in 2016. In every race our candidates were outspent, sometimes two to one or three to one or more, with big contributions by developers, realtors, homebuilders and other special interests.
Our latest win was in Ward 6 last year when Mai Vang bested two opponents for an open seat. Vang’s win preserved a solid 6-3 Progressive majority on the City Council.
Having led Progressive Salem for over a decade, Calos is handing over leadership to former Salem Mayor Chris Hoy, who has been an active member of the Progressive Salem Board and has helped to lead the Candidate Support Committee. He was active in encouraging Dave Inbody to run this year as a Progressive Salem candidate in South Salem’s Ward 4.
This year Progressive Salem is also supporting Vanessa Nordyke’s run for Salem Mayor and the re-election of councilors Linda Nishioka (Ward 2), Mai Vang (Ward 6) and Micki Varney (Ward 8).
“I hope to continue Tina’s strong leadership and winning record,” said Hoy. “She proved time and again that organized people can beat organized money and that will continue to be our mantra.”
Progressive Salem members are already out knocking on doors for all five of their candidates even though the filing deadline is weeks away. “We think 2026 is our year,” says Hoy. “But we have to work hard to make it happen, and we will.”
Bill Smaldone, Professor of European History at Willamette University led a timely discussion January 31 on fascism’s defining features, how they appear in past and present, and what ordinary people can do when democratic norms come under strain.
A video of the presentation and discussion is available here.
By Kathleen Trepa
Mai Vang was elected to Ward 6 in the May 2025 special election and is running for re-election for a full term.
A Willamette University Law School graduate and daughter of Vietnam War refugees, Mai brings a strong sense of family, cultural diversity, the value of community and the belief in the American dream to Ward 6 and the City Council. Mai has already shown she leads with her heart and values.
Mai’s primary goals are to focus on transportation improvements, including traffic calming, pedestrian safety, and access to bus routes and bike lanes. She is committed to improving 911 response times in Ward 6. She supports the construction of the previously approved local Fire Station and funding the necessary police and fire resources to effectively serve Ward 6. She also champions the Community Violence Reduction Initiative.
Housing affordability is a critical issue in East Salem, which is home to many minority and lower income neighborhoods. Mai’s dedication to supporting renter protections and rights is driven by her personal experience as a renter; she will propose a city task force of property owners and renters to explore options to protect affordable rental housing.
Helping people keep their homes is a more cost-effective and humane strategy than only funding intervention efforts once people become unhoused. As a result, she supports the re-establishment of the City’s Social Services Advisory Board with an annual $400,000 budget. Fifteen percent of Salem’s population lives below the Marion County poverty line, and the bi-annual Point In Time homeless count shows that the majority of Salem’s unhoused are from Salem. Mai believes the City should and can do more to help keep her neighbors housed.
Join Progressive Salem in supporting Mai’s re-election campaign. To learn more, please visit electmaivang.com.
Taproot Lounge and Café
356 State Street, Salem
4:30 to 6:30
David Inbody, will be our special guest. David is running for election to represent Ward 4 in May. Ward 4 includes most of Salem south of Kuebler. This seat is currently held by Deanna Gwyn, a Republican and real estate agent, with a narrow perspective.
Meet David, learn about his background and what he can bring to Salem, and how you might help with his campaign.
The Salem City Council has scheduled a meeting for special meeting for this Wednesday, January 7. The meeting will be during the time we had originally scheduled for the Progressive Salem membership meeting. Several of our candidates are current members of the city council. In order to include them in our meeting, we are rescheduling. The new meeting date is Wednesday, January 21. We will met at 7 pm at the Democrats office in downtown Salem.
Wednesday, January 21 at7 pm
Democrats’ office,
245 High Street NE
(directly across the Street from the bus station)
Hello Salem!
With Thanksgiving around the corner, I wish you and your family the very best. A great time to spend with family, appreciate and count our blessings, and acknowledge the colonial history that is deeply tied to our Indigenous people.
This time of the year is also Hmong New Year! Hmong New Year is not a specific day but rather a time period that follows the lunar calendar. Hmong New Year is celebrated between mid-October to the end of December. Each Hmong community celebrates it differently but all have some sort of community event.
Hmong New Year is to celebrate this year’s harvest, give thanks and appreciation to our ancestors who continue to look after us, and also to welcome good fortune into the new year. It was an honor to be invited as a speaker for Oregon Hmong New Year this year.
Nyob zoo xyoo tshiab (Happy Hmong New Year!)!
Mai
…but not if there are not enough organized people. In the last Salem mayor’s race, an unprecedented surge of organized money beat the best progressive mayor Salem has had in a couple of decades.
Be part of the organized people who beat organized money in May 2026. Start the New Year off right by attending Canvassing 101 with guest instructor Ron Morgan from DPO on Saturday, February 7, 2026. Ron will share best-known canvassing practices, and a panel of extraordinary local canvassers will share their tips.
Saturday, January 10, 2026, at 10 a.m.
Marion County Dems Office
245 High Street NE
Be part of expanding Salem’s organized people. To win a mayor’s race, re-elect three outstanding progressive city councilors and win one more progressive seat on the council, we need more organized people knocking on doors.
If you are an experienced canvasser, volunteer to have a less-experienced person walk with you to make canvassing seem less mysterious.
If you would like to become a mentor, contact Kathy Graham at
kgraham@willamette.edu or text or call 503-510-7123.
Help Progressive Salem help our candidates. Send a check to:
Progressive Salem
P.O. Box 224
Salem, OR 97308
Or donate via ActBlue (also see link at the top of this page).
If you have not yet paid your $25 dues for the 2025-2026 election year, you can send a check to the same address or pay online at the link above.
Thank you for helping make Salem more progressive.
Jan 10, 2026, 6:30 PM
Spinning Room @ Willamette Heritage Ctr, 1313 Mill St SE, Salem, OR 97301
Please RSVP here
Join Us for an Evening with Vanessa Nordyke—Salem’s Next Mayor!
Salem is growing, and we need a leader who’s ready. Join us for an evening with Vanessa Nordyke—current Ward 7 City Councilor, child advocate, and proven community champion—as she shares her vision for Salem’s future.
Vanessa has the experience to tackle our biggest challenges: affordable housing, public safety, and smart growth that preserves our community’s character. As Executive Director of CASA of Marion County and former Assistant Attorney General, she’s spent her career fighting for those who need it most. From serving on the Citizens Budget Committee to advocating for mental health and veterans’ services, Vanessa has been working for Salem families for decades.
Support the future of Salem in an evening of fun and hope.
This is a family-friendly event. Refreshments provided with cash bar.
RSVP here