In a front-page article in The Oregonian, Professor Nick Buccola commented about the impact of Obama’s Portland visit.
In a contest as close as the Oregon governor’s race, the winner may be determined by which campaign does the better job of targeting voters and getting them to turn in their ballots. That’s why President Obama dropped in to a Portland rally.
His visit was designed to remind voters to vote, and to encourage an army of volunteers to track down Democratic contender John Kitzhaber supporters and coax them into voting.
“That gets the ground game strengthened in the last few weeks,” said Nick Buccola, political science professor at Linfield. Buccola says in a race this close, that could have significant impact.
