Will Oregonians’ Votes Matter in the GOP Race?

As Republican presidential hopefuls battle it out, Oregon’s primary is still more than two months away. Several voters and officials with the Deschutes County Republican party said Wednesday they believe Oregon voices will still be heard, even though the primary isn’t until May 15.

Mitt Romney currently has the most delegates, and many voters say they wonder if he will be the clear GOP candidate by the time they’re able to cast their votes. Either way, Deschutes County Republicans said their votes still will matter, and they’re urging people to be a part of the election.

“We have a great opportunity to play a part in the election of the next Republican that will go on to defeat Obama in November,” said John Philo, a member of the Deschutes County Republicans.

Philo says Oregonians will have a chance to make a difference, even by the late May primary.

“We all have something to say,” Philo said. “Of course, our delegates will go to the national convention, and that’s our focus. We want to keep this conversation going.”

Many Bend voters said they agree that it’s important to cast a ballot.

“We try to never miss an election, because we think it’s important,” said one Bend voter. “It may not always go the way you wanted it to, but at least you can say you had an opinion, and you voiced it.”

Another voter said she’s eager to cast her ballot, in hopes that it will make a difference.

“I’ll probably hope for Newt (Gingrich), but (Mitt) Romney is great, so I would vote for him if that’s the case,” said one Bend resident. “Anybody but President Obama.”

From the Democrats’ standpoint, some voters said they like what they’re seeing in their GOP competition.

“I think it’s great for the Democrats, because there’s so much fighting amongst the Republicans that we have a really good chance of Obama getting re-elected,” said one voter in downtown Bend.

Other voters said they’re not impressed at all, and none of the candidates have said or done anything that will make them go out and cast a ballot.

“It’s all the same,” said one voter. “I don’t feel like anything has really changed, and it’s been people attacking each other. It’s less about politics and more about name-calling.”

The Republican candidates have been invited to a debate March 19th at the Oregon Public Broadcasting studios in Portland. Former state Sen. Neil Bryant said he expects the candidates to visit Bend before the election.