Oregon’s Democratic delegates will back Vice President Kamala Harris for president, the state’s Democratic Party announced late Wednesday.
The delegation’s unanimous vote to support Harris came more than a day after Harris secured enough support in other states to secure the nomination on the first ballot. No real challengers to Harris have emerged since President Joe Biden withdrew and endorsed Harris on Sunday.
Rosa Colquitt, chair of the Oregon Democratic Party, said achieving the party’s goals requires uniting.
“Protecting reproductive freedom, voting rights, marriage equality, and our very democracy will require all of us to come together,” she said. “Democrats stand firmly united in our resolve to ensure that on Inauguration Day 2025, we hear the name ‘President Kamala Harris’ announced as the 47th President of the United States!”
Oregon has 78 delegates, including 66 who are a mix of elected officials, political operatives and longtime party volunteers who were elected by party members to represent the state at the national convention. The other 12 include Democratic members of the state’s congressional delegation, Gov. Tina Kotek and other party leaders and are superdelegates, who only vote at the convention if a candidate doesn’t earn a majority of delegates on the first round of balloting.
The Democratic Party of Oregon as an entity won’t endorse Harris before the convention, but it will try to harness enthusiasm around her campaign to help Democratic candidates up and down the ballot.
“We saw an immediate influx of volunteer sign ups after the news broke that President Biden was endorsing Vice President Harris, and they haven’t slowed down,” Colquitt said.
While Oregon, which hasn’t voted for a Republican for president since 1984, isn’t a top priority for the presidential race, it is home to three of the country’s most competitive congressional districts. Democrats also want to maintain their majorities in the state Legislature and elect Democrats in open statewide races for treasurer, secretary of state and attorney general. In legislative races and the attorney general’s race, Republicans hope to capitalize on voter unease around crime, drugs and homelessness.
by Julia Shumway, Oregon Capital Chronicle
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