Bend, Ore. — The Oregon Working Families Party today announced its endorsement of Amanda Page (Position 3), Rick Russell (Position 4), and Morgan Schmidt (Position 5) for the newly expanded five-member Deschutes County Commission. The expansion of the commission has created a historic opportunity for working people, renters, and frontline community leaders to step forward and shape the future of one of Oregon’s fastest-growing and most expensive counties.

Deschutes County has rapidly become unaffordable for the very workers who keep the region moving. Educators, healthcare workers, first responders, service workers and people on fixed incomes are struggling to afford basic needs in our community. Unlike school boards or legislative seats that offer poor or no compensation, the County Commission is one of the few elected roles that pays a living wage, making it accessible for working-class people to run and serve. 

“This upcoming year we have a unique opportunity in Deschutes County for the first time to have a more representative county commission. We are thankful for the work that has been done to strengthen representation. Working people in Central Oregon are stepping into leadership,” said Annie Naranjo-Rivera, Oregon WFP State Director. “Voters are hungry for candidates who feel the urgency we all feel. This region’s residents are so much more than profit streams for developers and corporations.”

The Working Families Party’s endorsements underscore a growing movement across Central Oregon for a more representative democracy, one where leaders come from the communities most affected by rising costs, shrinking opportunity, and political extremism.

“The expansion of the County Commission is already doing what democracy should do: opening the door to working people,” said Becca Phelps, Oregon WFP State Committee member and Executive Director of Vote Run Lead Action. “These candidates show that working people are hungry for a new approach.”

“My campaign is about community, stewardship, and building a county grounded in wisdom, fairness, and dignity for all,” said Amanda Page, Candidate for Position 3. “My career started as a volunteer firefighter in southern Oregon because I wanted to give back to my community. And that’s been a thread throughout my life. I step up and serve others, because I was raised to understand the importance of people, relationships, and the power of the community to weather storms. I grew up in an impoverished area but people didn’t go hungry because we took care of each other. Tribal members would bring fish and venison to elders and others in need. That’s what we need right now in Deschutes County, leaders who know how to take care of people.”

“The Working Families Party endorsement means we’re in the same fight to create a Deschutes County where everyone can afford to live. Let’s get to work building a future where wages are livable, housing is accessible, and families thrive,” said Rick Russell, Candidate for Position 4.

“We are working towards a day when politics doesn’t break our hearts, drain our energy, and steal our attention. We are working towards a day when chaos and cruelty won’t have the last word, but collective flourishing will be the law of the land,” said Morgan Schmidt, Candidate for Position 5.

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The Oregon Working Families Party is a grassroots, multiracial political party building governing power for working people. WFP supports leaders who fight for economic justice, housing people can afford, strong public services, and a democracy that includes all of us.