Mai’s Victory Speech
The win is here! I want to take this moment to thank those who have helped me build such a strong campaign. I am so proud our campaign got everyone from the very young (voters as young as 18) to the very wise (our oldest voter is 102!) to turn in their ballots! Shout out to Marion County Elections office ensuring that our elections are fair and accessible.
I could not have had such a strong grassroots campaign without the experience, financial support, and in-kind donations from Progressive Salem, Marion County Democrats, UFCW Local 555, Western Carpenters Local 541, Frank Taussig, Doua and Angel Vang, and the many volunteers and donors. To everyone who chipped in financially (whether it was $5 or $500), helped me canvass at every opportunity, or made calls to remind voters that their votes matter, you made this campaign possible!
Thank you to my campaign managers, Paige Barton and Evan Manvel, for their support and excellent advice every step along the way to this victory. My treasurer, Kristen Martin, for handling the numbers because everyone who knows me knows I’m terrible at math. My volunteer coordinator, Jeanne Nicholas, who answered our call to help coordinate our amazing volunteers.
Thank you to my husband Spencer for his unqualified support during the campaign. To my parents and sister who were here with me on election night, thank you for being part of this milestone. To my mentors who helped me navigate the political arena and the campaign trail—thank you!
I also want to acknowledge Deanna Garcia and Logan Lor and their campaign run for Ward 6. We were able to have a robust conversation about important issues to our community. I hope to continue these conversations to keep building a stronger community.
The biggest thank you I need to give are to my neighbors and community who have placed their trust in me to represent them at city council. This trust translated to them showing up and turning in their ballots.
We all come have different life experiences but we all share the same values of honesty, transparency, and caring for our community.
We have taken one local step to continue to uphold these values we all share. You can be assured that these values will guide the actions and decisions I make as your new City Councilor from Ward 6.
It is an honor to have earned the trust of so many people from my community.
Let’s move forward and build a stronger community together! The work is about to begin.
-Mai Vang