By Matthew Wadleigh of Beaverton, Oregon. Matthew is a 23 year old student that attends Portland State University who has called Oregon home all his life.

An open letter to Senator Sanders:

To the Honorable Bernie Sanders,

My name is Matthew Wadleigh, and I'm a student at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon.

If I were given the chance and had the resources, I would happily go to Iowa, Rhode Island, South Carolina, or any other early primary state in order to help you secure the Democratic nomination. I would do this because my own state of Oregon votes in the primaries very late, and unfortunately I believe that if conventional wisdom holds true, the Democratic nomination will be settled before Oregon voters get their chance to make their voices heard.

I am penning this letter in order to ask you to make sure that is not the case. In fact I would like to take this one step farther, and ask you to keep your campaign alive until the Democratic National Convention, scheduled to be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the 25th of July next year. Every state in the union deserves the chance to allow its voters to assign their delegates. This election especially is of too much importance to not let every vote and every voice be heard.

As the race goes on you will be pressured, especially should you lose the early primaries, to back out of the race and endorse one of the other candidates for the presidency. It will be suggested to you that party unity is more important than the voices of the American people. Do not give in to those suggestions. It is not the place of the elites of the Democratic Party to decide who our nominee should be. That responsibility should lie solely with us, the voters of the Democratic party.

Every American deserves the chance to vote for the person who shares their ideals. Every American deserves the chance to vote for the person they believe should lead us into the future. Give us that chance so that after our vote has been cast, we can proudly return home with a clear conscience. Knowing that the democratic process has heard us, and that the Democratic Party shall listen.

You are a very special candidate. This may be your one shot. Do what is right by the American People and see your campaign to the end. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.

Sincerely,

Matthew Wadleigh

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