Thread by @DHStokyo

There's a House district here in Oregon that the Republicans have been desperate to flip for years. This year, they're getting really close to making that happen!! 😬

Here's why it's close, and why we can't let them win. #VoteBlue // thread

Our Congressman in #OR04 is Peter DeFazio. He became the Chair of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee when we flipped the House in 2018.

He has 100% scores from the Human Rights Campaign & Planned Parenthood & a 97% rating from the League of Conservation Voters.

Our congressional district is the only competitive one in the state. We're the district in green on the bottom left. (By the way, #Portland is split between the yellow and dark red districts at the top left. This will be important later.)

The Republicans have failed to find a great candidate to challenge Rep. DeFazio for some time, but this year struck gold. But it's Fool's gold, because we're talking Republicans here.

Meet Alex Skarlatos. If his name sounds familiar, there's a reason. He and two of his childhood friends from California were the ones who used their military training to stop a gunman from an attack on a train in Paris back in 2015.
foxnews.com/us/paris-train…

You: Well, he's a real hero. Wait, did you say his childhood friends were from California? Is he not an Oregonian?

Me: Good catch. He wasn't raised here in Oregon. He grew up in Sacramento. He only did high school & some community college here before going to the military.

Here's where the "hero" veneer washes away. After the Paris incident, he finished up his military service and then guess what he did.

Move to Oregon? Start helping the citizens of the state?

Nope. He went to Hollywood.

First up, Dancing with the Stars!!! Season 21!

Then, a little Who Wants To Be a Millionaire!!!

Then he starred as himself in a movie about the Paris event, directed by Clint Eastwood. It, um, did not do well.

In all this time, he didn't do a thing for Oregonians. He could have taken his moment in the spotlight to bring some attention to important issues in the state, but he was too busy chasing fame in CA.

Then the Republicans recruited him to run against DeFazio. They knew that they could flash "hero!!!" and "military vet!!!" and the money would flow. Which it has. From out of state.

Ted Cruz himself gave $75k. Outside GOP Pacs are pouring money into the state.

Newt Gingrich of all people is trying to tie the Portland protests, which Fox News has been covering breathlessly for months, to DeFazio. Remember the map I showed earlier? There's an ENTIRE CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT between Portland & our district. Rs are hypocrites.

Skarlatos has stated publicly: That he'd repeal the Affordable Care Act; that small businesses don't need a COVID relief package; that "we need to live with the virus"; that climate change is not the culprit behind major wildfires; & that he doesn't believe in minimum wage.

Which brings us to now. The good people of #OR04 don't need someone with no relevant experience and no interest in Oregon or its citizens representing them in Congress.

We don't want the Rs gloating for 2 years about how they flipped a blue district after 30 years.

Here's how you can help. Please share this thread to spread the word. If you have any friends or family in #OR04, tell them why a vote for DeFazio is the way to go. And if you can spare a few bucks, a donation would go a long way. secure.actblue.com/donate/stand-w…

Thank you!! @RepPeterDeFazio has been so good for Oregon. If you want to learn more about him, read his excellent op-ed from earlier this weekend: registerguard.com/story/opinion/…

Wow! Thank you all for spreading this thread far and wide! DeFazio is actively looking for volunteers who can help text or phone bank in these final days. If you're interested, you can sign up here: defazioforcongress.org/volunteer/