MEDFORD, Ore.- Democrats in Jackson County breathed a sigh of relief Tuesday night as Governor Kate Brown won her first full term as Oregon governor. For those at the watch party in downtown Medford, many were ecstatic about the news as the polls showed a slim lead over Republican gubernatorial candidate Knute Buehler leading up to the race.
The Jackson County Democratic Party held a watch party at the Grape Street Bar and Grill earlier in the night where some Democrats were feeling a little anxious about the race. Representative Pam Marsh who was in attendance said she was being cautiously optimistic about the governor’s race.
However, with Marsh cruising towards another win with over 65 percent of the vote and ultimately Governor Brown succeeding, local Democrats said they looking forward to the road ahead.
“I hope this will really give her [Brown] a chance to settle into the job,” said Rep. Marsh. “She’s had a two-year cycle, another two-year cycle now she knows she’s going to be there for four years and we can really dig in and work on some of the big issues facing the state.”
Those issues Rep. Marsh hopes to tackle involve things such as climate change and Oregon’s education system. But she admits that passing meaningful legislation for the Democrats and her constituents agenda will be a sure thing.
“It’s a little sobering because we have big struggles ahead of us,” she said. “But I think we’re going to have a very strong legislature, we’re going have a good governor and I hope we’ll figure out a way to all work together and move this state forward.”
Democrats did still face several losses like Jamie McLeod-Skinner losing to incumbent Congressman Greg Walden by a significant margin and the Jackson County Commissioner’s Rick Dyer and Colleen Roberts seeming to be able to hold their positions against Dr. Lanita Witt and Amy Thuren.
While it may not have been a great triumph for Democrats in Jackson County, the party as a whole will be happy to see it’s majority continue to push forward as blue.
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