Oregon matters. Oregonians matter.
More than three times as many Oregon voters have switched registrations than did in the 2008 election--84,800 of them to the Democratic Party of Oregon. In addition to these new party affiliations of already registered voters, nearly half of the 100,900 new "motor-voters" have registered as Democrats.
Portland — A whopping 111,000 Oregonians gave themselves a say in the upcoming presidential primary by changing their voter registrations to Democrat or Republican.
That figure dwarfs registration change numbers during President Barack Obama's 2008 primary campaign more than threefold.
The bulk of these voters — who previously weren't registered with either party and wouldn't have been able to cast a presidential ballot this month — made the switch in the weeks before the April 26 primary deadline, when excitement was building over the state's potentially key role in deciding the nominees.
These numbers, taken from the Oregon Secretary of State, seem solid--despite the AP’s reporting here of 110,000 or 111,000. I am far less certain, in the delegate shell game, how many delegates that Oregon actually possesses. A DPO official has stated 74. Nate Silver lists 61. And, here is the AP’s take on the math, delivered dismissively.
So for most of the dozen remaining primaries through June — especially in small states like Oregon, where 102 delegates are up for grabs — political observers say their impact is now more symbolic than actual.
How important is symbolism in an election? How important are the final contests? How important is momentum? Oregon is poised to become California’s St. John the Baptist.
The West coast has been waiting to vote for Senator Sanders for a year now. Washington State delivered a 73% victory. Establishment politicians and corporate media may remain unimpressed at Bernie's massive crowds; however, the massive amount of money which the states of Washington, Oregon and California have provided to the Sanders' campaign marks us as solidly Sanders Territory.
Oregon puts its money where its heart is!
Thanks to Ashley Terry for crafting an incredible video of our opening day at The Bernie Underground, capturing so well the Spirit of the Political Revolution which animates us.