Oregon seeing RECORD Party Registration Ahead of May 17th Primary

The state of Oregon is no stranger to progressive activism. From the City of Portland's passage of a $14.75 an hour minimum wage to the states full legalization of cannabis. And now in this Primary season Oregon is seeing a record number of voters registering with the Democratic party ahead of the Oregon State Primary on May 17th.

With over 110,000 voters registering, it's no surprise that a large majority ( almost 85,000 according to the Oregon Secretary of State ) are registering as Democrats. Also, a large majority 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. In addition, 100,900 new Oregon voters were added to the rolls through April of this year. An up-swing of 42 percent from the same time in 2008, when primary turnout was the highest in nearly 40 years.

Oregon's primary, which is one of four being held over the next two weeks, may be observed as a "petri dish for a national conversation" about the changing dynamics of the two parties heading into the general election, according to Jim Moore, professor and director at the Tom McCall Center for Policy Innovation at Pacific University. "Does the Republican party begin to gather around Donald Trump ... or are we going to see an electorate that's still pretty cranky and fractured over the Trump candidacy?" Moore said. "The Oregon primary on the Democratic side is going to continue to be that conversation about where the party needs to go..." Professor Moore also remarked that newly registered voters likely lean toward Oregon's "Bernie-mania" electorate, although it's less clear who they support on the Republican side.

The only GOP poll, released last week, showed Trump with a double-digit lead in Oregon. The GOP presumptive nominee, Donald Trump, is reportedly paying his first visit Friday evening in Eugene, his local campaign manager, Jacob Daniels, confirmed with the Associated Press. The rally hasn't been officially announced by the national campaign. "We're still not certain who the (Democratic) nominee is going to be," Daniels said. "So as far as strategy moving forward in the general election, we're just going to have to see how things unfold while also simultaneously planning for what we expect to happen."

Oregon has 102 delegates are up for grabs in the Democratic primary, where Senator Bernie Sanders chances are beginning to look promising following his surprise Indiana win of May 3rd. A win in West Virginia (where Sen. Sanders is currently polling several points ahead of Sec. Clinton) on May 10th would provide extra momentum for the Senator from Vermont heading into the Oregon Primary on may 17th.