Jeanne Atkins Will Not Seek Re-Election as Chair of Democratic Party of Oregon

Former secretary of state oversaw big Democratic gains in 2018 election cycle

Jeanne P. Atkins

Jeanne Atkins, the chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Oregon, will not seek re-election at the party's organizational meetings in March.

"I have a number of personal reasons for this decision—all of which can be summed up by saying I've got to make space, as I cross into my 70s,  to commit to my family and to myself," Atkins said in a statement.

Atkins became Oregon's secretary of state in 2015, after then-Secretary of State Kate Brown moved up to the governor's office following the resignation of former Gov. John Kitzhaber. Atkins served in that position through January of 2017, when Republican Dennis Richardson, elected in 2016 took over.

Atkins then became chair of the DPO and oversaw the party's preparations for the 2018 election, in which Gov. Brown retained her position, Democratic legislative candidates made historic gains and Democratic interest groups defeated a slate of conservative ballot measures.

In an open letter to Democrats, Atkins nodded toward the greatest challenge the party faces in Oregon and nationally: internal dissension.

"My wish here is that party activists of all stripes will take a brave step and force themselves to work together rather than separately," Atkins wrote.

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