Long-time advocate and community leader Laurie Wimmer filed for the Oregon House of Representatives today, endorsed by a laudable list of current and former leaders who have witnessed her effectiveness in the State Capitol. Representing House District 36, Wimmer will continue her decades-long career of bettering the lives of Oregon women, families, students, and educators.
“Laurie will make an amazing lawmaker. She is fiercely intelligent, an inventive problem-solver, and understands the issues Oregonians care about. If elected, Laurie will represent MY district, so having such a great candidate as Laurie is special and personal for me,” said Ellen Rosenblum, Attorney General.
Others who have endorsed her campaign include Senators Lew Frederick and Rob Wagner and Representatives Courtney Neron, Chris Gorsek, Sheri Schouten, Marty Wilde, and Paul Evans. Wimmer is also endorsed by Metro Councilor Christine Lewis, Portland City Councilor Nick Fish, Portland school board member Rita Moore, TigardTualatin school board member Ben Bowman, and retired Supreme Court Justice Robert Durham. UFCW #555 is among her early organizational endorsements.
Wimmer has been a professional advocate at the Oregon Education Association for more than 23 years, working to advance public education for Oregon students and 44,000 educators. She has never shied away from a complex challenge; Wimmer was one of the legislative architects of the historic Student Success Act, passed in May, which will increase public school budgets by nearly 20 percent. She also previously served as Executive Director of the Oregon Commission for Women and brings a wealth of policy expertise to the job.
“Folks in our district deserve to have a legislative champion who is not afraid to fight for the issues that matter. I’m not afraid of tough challenges, and I will stand up for the people of this state. My proven record of success – getting the first family leave laws passed, ensuring that women’s health care coverage included lifesaving mammograms and PAP tests, and now, ensuring a stable new funding source to give our students the schools they deserve – will enable me to hit the ground running,” Wimmer said.
Wimmer cites “catastrophic national leadership in the White House” as a motivating factor for deciding to run. “Oregon can show the country, and indeed the world, that we can stand up to this administration. We can do better.” She looks forward to representing workers’ rights, fighting homelessness and income inequality, and ensuring that Oregon’s increasingly diverse population inherits a world that works for all of us. She will launch her campaign at a kickoff slated for November 16.
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