Oregon 'Draft Obama' effort launched

By KTVZ-TV Portland, OR

PORTLAND - Monday's launch of the Oregon DraftObama.org movement sent a strong message that Oregonians want Illinois Senator Barack Obama to run for and become the next president.

State organizers, encouraged by the overwhelming success of the www.DraftObama.org movement, began an all-volunteer movement to gather thousands of signatures from other like-minded Oregonians urging Senator Obama to run.

"Oregonians from an array of political parties have pledged support en masse from across the state," said Jason Owens, Oregon DraftObama.org Spokesman. "We are excited that Oregon can be one of the first DraftObama.org state chapters and an influential participant in the upcoming presidential elections. Oregonians are moved and encouraged by Barack Obama's message of hope and refreshing candor as he addresses issues head-on."

Oregon organizers are gathering thousands of signatures from Obama supporters in Oregon, building a grassroots organization that will eventually help Obama win Oregon in the Democratic primary. Oregon DraftObama.org will be sponsoring activities to support DraftObama.org and organize trips to hear Senator Obama speak at various events in and out of state.

DraftObama.org is an all-volunteer grassroots organization supporting a presidential run by Senator Obama. The movement, spearheaded by a growing collection of volunteers from around the country, has grown from a single web page created by Ben Stanfield, a computer technician in Rockville, MD, to a national organization with thousands of petition-signers and hundreds of volunteers.