Democrats Step Up: February 2026
Goodbye to an old friend and long time Lincoln County Commissioner and public servant, Claire Hall (1957-2026). We will miss her compassion, intelligence and her fight to serve for the good of others. PHOTOS February Events Every Saturday, 12 – 1pm Newport Resistance Rally Hwy 101 & US 20 in Newport. Signs are provided or bring your own personal sign Daily Rally, 12-1pm Hwy 101 & 22nd St, Lincoln City (Indivisible Lincoln City) Wednesday, February 4 and 18, 10am Lincoln County Commissioners Meetings 225 W Olive Street, Room 108, Newport OR To participate and provide comment via Zoom, sign up here. This form must be submitted 24 hours in advance. Or submit a written public comment here by noon on Tuesday before the Wednesday meeting. February 25, Wed. 5:30 p.m. (Social time – 5pm) Lincoln County Democrats monthly meeting Special guest – Commissioner Walter Chuck OCCC North Campus, Room 108, 3788 SE High School Drive, Lincoln City. February 28, 2026 2 pm to 4 pm Neighborhood Leader Program in-person training session Newport Public Library, 34 Nye Street, Newport OR ICE OUT After the shooting of Renee Good, “ICE Out! demonstrations and rallies occurred in Oregon and across the USA on January 10, 2025. The protests were also in response to intensified federal immigration enforcement policies that run contrary to the Constitution. People who are in the country legally have been taken to detention centers or deported to prisons outside the US without warrants and without reason. Citizen protestors have been pepper sprayed, pushed to the ground, and even taken into custody. Now, with the murder of Alex Pretti, two Americans have been shot to death for peaceful protesting. This does not include the many who have died while while being detained by ICE. Some Good News! A poll conducted by The New York Times and Siena Research Institute on Jan. 23 showed that 63% of all Americans disapprove of how ICE is handling its job. Note: This was before the murder of Alex Pretti. States like TX, MO, NC, SC, FL, and UT are redrawing their maps to eliminate Democratic seats in Congress, but Democrats are fighting back. Virginia, Maryland and Colorado are pushing for redistricting and California already has done it. Under Prop 50, California will halt the work of its independent redistricting commission until after 2030 and allow the legislature to redraw congressional districts to carve out five additional Democratic seats. A federal judge tentatively ruled that Oregon does not have to hand over personally identifiable data of more than 3 million Oregon voters to the federal government. Oregon Secretary of State, Tobias Read, welcomed the ruling, calling it a big win for Oregonians’ privacy and the rule of law. 2026 Started on a High Note for LCDCC! The first meeting of the year for Lincoln County Democrats featured 5 speakers and a crowd of 52, plus more on Zoom. The meeting started with a slideshow tribute to long-time County Commissioner, Claire Hall, along with remarks by Chair, Mary Infante. Nathan Stolz, Chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon, shared his background in political activism. He advised those who want to run for office to first volunteer locally and then the new candidate support system would kick in. He explained that our role as a political party is to help elect Democrats in the general election and that there are limitations on endorsing candidates when two or more Democrats run for the same seat in the primary election. The Democratic Liaison for Lincoln County, Kien Trong, also spoke. As Chair of the Young Democrats’ Caucus, Kien stressed his commitment to progressive values, emphasizing the need for community involvement to address current challenges. Chair, Mary Infante, discussed the need to engage with diverse communities, including Asian and Latino organizations, in order to encourage participation in the political process. She then introduced the co-chairs for the newly formed Young Democrats Action Group, Katie Saaty and Angel Aparicio-Reyes. The YDAG mission statement follows: To bring progressive young members of the community into the political process, with a focus on members of under-represented communities. We aim to effect change on a local level by creating community supported workshops and hosting social media gatherings in an effort to build solidarity, resilience and connection in a safe and inclusive environment. Michael Gaskill and Mary Cooke are working as co-chairs for the Neighborhood Leader Program. Mary Cooke explained more about the NLP program and the importance of community outreach in improving voter turnout. If you want to be a Neighborhood Leader, you may contact Mary Cooke at (509)998-1754. Neighborhood Leader Program in-person training session February 28, 2026, 2 pm to 4 pm Newport Public Library, 34 Nye Street, Newport OR LCDCC Vice Chair, Kelly Greer, invited attendees to run for a Precinct Committee Person position and provided handouts and information about how to register before March 10. Please see the announcement below about becoming a PCP. Speakers Nathan Stolz, Kien Truong, Mary Infante with Katie Saaty and Angel Aparicio-Reyes, Mary Cooke and Kelly Greer. Become a Precinct Committee Person! The May 19 Primary Election will have candidates running for US Representative for the 4th District (Val Hoyle), State Representative for District 10 (David Gomberg), Lincoln County Commissioners (all 3 positions), and Governor (Tina Kotek). In addition, we always need more Democrats running for Precinct Committee Persons, as many positions go unfilled each year. Please consider running for PCP in your district. County Precinct Committee Persons are elected every two years (in the primary elections in even years) to play crucial roles representing their parties at the grassroots level. They are responsible for such things as: * Staying informed on political issues at the city, county, state, and national levels. * Participating in County Central Committee meetings to stay updated on party matters. * Electing county party leadership and delegates to the State Conventions and State Central Committee meetings. * Voting on official party business and resolutions of local concern. Go to this website for the filing forms and information (It’s not hard!) Online filing form: https://sos.oregon.gov/elections/Pages/candidate-filing-precinct-committeeperson-sel-105.aspx Please don’t delay. The last day to file is March