By Jonas Blank
Congressional Quarterly

Electoral votes: 7

Delegates: 58

Chairman: Sen. Ron Wyden

Hotel: Doubletree Westwood (310) 475-8711

1996 Election:
Clinton – 47%
Dole – 39%
Perot – 9%

Oregon encompasses a broad ideological spectrum. On the left are many ardent environmentalists and social issues liberals. On the right are the religious conservatives who are a force in the state's Republican Party and the ranching, farming and timber interests who associate the Democrats' land-use policies with environmental extremism.

In between are most of Oregon's voters, a fact reflected in the state's partisan division of political responsibilities.

Gov. John Kitzhaber, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and four of the state's five U.S. House members are Democrats; but U.S. Sen. Gordon H. Smith is a Republican and the GOP has majorities in both chambers of the Legislative Assembly.

Oregon may look like a sure thing for this year's Democratic presidential standard bearer, Vice President Al Gore, on the electoral map. Not only did President Clinton carry it in 1992 and 1996 (with Gore as his running mate), but the state was one of just 10 that favored Democratic nominee Michael S. Dukakis over Republican George Bush in 1988.

None of those victories was overwhelming, though. Clinton, as a challenger, beat Bush by 42 percent to 33 percent in 1992 with 24 percent going to independent Ross Perot. Clinton, as the incumbent in 1996, defeated Republican Bob Dole by 47 percent to 39 percent in Oregon.

Nonetheless, Oregon Democrats say their party is on the verge of a surge. "We are a much more dynamic party than we were four years ago," said state Democratic Party Chairman Jim Edmunson, who added that his party's budget has doubled over the past year.

Edmunson contended that a "progressive backlash" is building against the Republican-controlled Congress and state Legislature.

Longtime party activist Genie Uebelacker said that the Republicans' attempt to oust Clinton in the aftermath of his sexual affair with White House aide Monica Lewinsky was a galvanizing moment for the party. "The minute Clinton started being attacked for the Lewinsky scandal, money just started rolling in," said Uebelacker. "The phones were ringing off the hook at the office."

This renewed sense of urgency has brought focus to this year's Oregon national convention delegation: The goal of victory is superseding differences of particular issues within the ranks. "The winning of elections is going to drive the issues debate," said Edmunson. "We've seen how talk loses elections."

Oregon's 58-member delegation is dominated by Gore supporters. The state's primary did not take place until May 16, more than two months after Gore amassed the number of delegates he needed to clinch the presidential nomination.

Delegates contacted by Congressional Quarterly hailed the Clinton-Gore administration's record. Despite the decline of the timber industry in the first part of the 1990s, the Clinton-Gore years have brought a surge of high-tech investment to the state; tech firms are now the leading manufacturing employers in Oregon.

Delegate Dick Springer, a former state legislator, also praised Gore's willingness to address environmental issues, such as the breaching of the Snake River Dams, which have decimated the state's lucrative salmon catches.

Yet Oregon Democrats are concerned about the potential impact of Green Party presidential nominee Ralph Nader, who Edmunson conceded has strong support among some environmentalists in the state. "The Green Party has a tremendous following here," said Edmunson. "The [Democratic] party has to be united to hold as many of our voters to our ticket as we can."

And while they support Gore's policies, some delegates acknowledge that Gore lacks Clinton's dynamic personality, which has dampened some of the fervor for his campaign. "There is no doubt that Clinton carries a charisma that has touched the Oregon spirit," Edmunson said. "Gore is going to have to convince this state that he's larger than life."

The state's key Democratic figures and constituencies have rallied around Gore - including Kitzhaber, who initially endorsed the presidential bid of former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley but now is Gore's campaign vice chairman in the state.

That may have required some fence-mending, as Gore had criticized elements of Kitzhaber's Oregon Health Plan, which was aimed at establishing universal health care in the state. Kitzhaber is a physician.

The Oregon delegation is diverse, exceeding the national Democratic Party's affirmative action guidelines for the state. One particular rising star among the delegates is state Treasurer Jim Hill, the first African-American to win statewide office in Oregon (where blacks make up just 2 percent of the population).

The delegation is headed by Wyden, who is Jewish, and includes freshman 1st District U.S. Rep. David Wu, whose 1998 win made him the first person of full Chinese ancestry ever to serve in the House.

The party recently formed a Latino caucus, which will be represented at the Los Angeles convention by its chairman, Jose Hernandez. The key Democratic constituency of organized labor is represented in the delegation, as are gays and lesbians.

OREGON NOTABLES: Gov. John Kitzhaber; U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, the delegation chairman; U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Peter A. DeFazio, Darlene Hooley and David Wu; state Democratic Party Chairman Jim Edmunson; state House Minority Leader Dan Gardner, state Treasurer Jim Hill; publisher Win McCormack.