Since '96, Clackamas Co. had been predominantly GOP. In March, it flipped with Dems taking a narrow lead. From Jan. to March the number of registered Dems rose from 76.9K to 79.9K. The number of registered GOPers fell from about 79K to 78.6K. Of the 208.6K voters in Clackamas Co., 43K -- or roughly 1 in 5 -- are unaffiliated with a party.
Dem officials "described the change in voter registration as part of a permanent shift," but GOPers "were skeptical." Clackamas Co. GOP vice-chair Joe Lee Jr.: "Ask how they're going to keep all those voters. I don't think they're getting many party loyalists (Zuckerman, Portland Oregonian, 5/1).
Dems now comprise nearly 42% of OR voters. "The growth is due to last minute voters who flocked to change their party affiliation or register for the first time to participate" in the primary. As of 4/30, there were 845,196 registered Dems in OR, up by 81K from Jan. During that same period, GOPers lost more than 45K voters. There are now 683,371 GOPers registered, or about 33.6% of the of OR's 2M registered voters.
"The big draw" is the contest between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, "but plenty of down-ballot races could benefit from the surge in registration." Some ex-GOPers acknowledge that they've switched their registration to Dem "only temporarily, to vote for Clinton is the hope of prolonging the race, a tactic that's been urged by local conservative talk show hosts" (Silverman, AP, 4/30).
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