By Peter Bergel
Progressive Salem’s focus in this election was to elect progressive candidate Mai Vang to fill conservative Mayor Julie Hoy’s vacated Ward 6 seat on the City Council. It appears that we were successful at doing so. Unofficial results show Vang with 45% of the vote, main competitor Deanna Garcia with 38%, and distant third Logan Lor with 17%. Since this is a special election, there will be no run-off in November, meaning that Vang will become Salem’s Ward 6 councilor.
This is an important win for Progressive Salem as we solidify a 6-3 progressive majority on the Council.
Progressive Salem assisted Vang in a variety of ways: sending out three targeted mailings in Ward 6, helping her with canvassing and phoning, offering campaign advice and providing input into her Voters’ Pamphlet statement. Both of her campaign managers are Progressive Salem members.
Progressive Salem was happy to celebrate Mai’s winning campaign by co-hosting a watch party with the Marion County Democrats at their downtown headquarters on election night. We welcomed Mai’s parents and sister, all the way from their home in Missoula, Montana. What a proud moment for them!
Other Races We Care About:
Almost all the other ballot races went Progressive Salem’s way:
The Salem Livability Levy passed 56% to 44%.
The Chemeketa Community College bond measure passed 52% to 48%.
Three of the four progressives running for Salem-Keizer School Board won their races: Lisa Harnish, Mel Fuller and Karina Guzman Ortiz.
What’s Next for Progressive Salem?
Progressive Salem will now turn its attention to a number of concerns that were temporarily shelved during the campaign. These include:
Expanding our membership
Improving our membership’s facility with social media
Fleshing out our finance/funding committee
Developing a stronger community within Progressive Salem
Offering political education presentations
Other efforts aimed at making our organization stronger and more able to meet future challenges.
The members of the Board and of Progressive Salem’s four committees look forward to working with you to promote a progressive agenda in Salem as we prepare for next year’s election challenges.
Keep the Progressive Pressure On!
Contact Progressive Salem in one of these ways!
info@progressivesalem.org
Facebook: facebook.com/progressivesalem
Bluesky: Progressivesalem.bsky.social
Instagram: Progressive Salem