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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 2022)
PO QR code Volume LII • Number 20 ‘City of Roses’ Zoo’s “Holloween” Starts New Public Charter School Annunal Event kicks off with pumpkin smash Grant maximizing opportunities for students of color See page 4 See Local News, pg 3 www.portlandobserver.com Wednesday • October 19, 2022 Committed to Cultural Diversity President Joe Biden greets members of the crowd after speaking at Irvine Valley Community College, in Irvine, Calif., Friday, Oct. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Election Day is Approaching November 8th President Biden’s travels west to aim for votes for Democrats (AP) — President Joe Biden strode into the telephone bank at a crowded union hall and eagerly began making calls and eating doughnuts — one frosted, one glazed — as he tries every page in the political play- book to deliver votes for Democrats. “What a governor does matters,” Biden said in a pep talk to volunteers who were making Friday night calls for Oregon gu- bernatorial hopeful Tina Kotek and other candidates. “It matters! It matters, it mat- ters, it matters!” Before leaving Portland on Saturday, the president attended a union hall reception for Kotek as he tried to boost her chances in a three-way race that could cost Dem- ocrats a reliably blue governor’s seat. He also gave a speech at a community center, warning that his administration’s progress “goes away, gone” if Republicans take con- trol of Congress in the midterm elections. Portland was the final stop on a four-day swing through Oregon, California and Col- orado that has encapsulated Biden’s strate- gy for turning out voters on Election Day, Nov. 8: flex the levers of government to help boost candidates, promote an agenda aimed at strengthening an uncertain econo- my and haul in campaign cash. Throughout the trip, Biden had to com- pete for the spotlight and contend with a troubling new inflation report and rising gas prices. “Folks are still struggling. We can’t kid ourselves about that,” Biden said Saturday. He touted Democratic legislation that he says will fight climate change with clean energy incentives and limit the cost of pre- scription drugs, saying that “we’re fighting for folks who need our help.” In Oregon, Democratic officials hope that Biden can help consolidate the par- ty’s support behind Kotek. The party is in danger of losing the governor’s race in the traditional Democratic stronghold as Betsy Johnson — who has quit both the Demo- cratic and Republican parties — has run a well-financed race against Kotek and the GOP nominee Christine Drazan. Biden said Kotek has the “heart of a lion,” and he described her as “an articu- late, tough, committed woman.” Early voting is underway in California and begins next week in Oregon and Col- orado. The president notably stayed away from states where his presence could hurt Democrats, so far skipping Nevada and Arizona, where Democratic senators are tough races. Democrats are trying to retain pow- er in the face of widespread economic uncertainty and the traditional midterm headwinds against the party in power. Re- publicans, aiming to regain the House and Senate, think they can capitalize on gas prices, inflation and the economy. During his taco stop, Biden’s chick- en quesadilla order ran to $16.45, but he handed the clerk $60 and asked him to use the change to pay the next patron’s bill.
