East Oregon movement to join Idaho gains momentum

A movement fighting to redraw Oregon’s border so that the eastern, more conservative section of the state becomes part of Idaho is gaining steam, according to a new report.

The Greater Idaho movement has already gained support from nine counties in Eastern Oregon with two more voting on whether they want lawmakers to begin exploring the border change in the upcoming midterm elections, reports Fox News.

Matt McCaw, a spokesman for Greater Idaho, justified the change by how the east’s conservative politics align more with their red state neighbor than Oregon’s own government, which is dominated by Democrats.

"It makes more sense for Eastern Oregonians to get state-level governance coming from Idaho, where they share their values, share their culture, share their politics, than it does to be governed by Western Oregon," Greater Idaho spokesman Matt McCaw told Fox News on Thursday.

Some counties in the region voted nearly 80% for President Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

But voters in Oregon’s urban centers of Portland, Eugene and Bend strongly preferred then-candidate Joe Biden, awarding its 7 electoral college votes to the Democrat.

"It's always been a problem because the west side has many more voters," McCaw said. "They have the numbers to dictate what happens statewide."

In contrast, Idaho voted 63.9% for Trump and 33.1% for Biden, pledging its 4 electoral college votes to the Republican ticket.

The two proposals in Morrow and Wheeler Counties direct local officials to work on the logistics of withdrawing from the state. Even if the 17 counties involve succeed, the Greater Idaho plan requires approval from both states and Congress.

However, Oregon conservatives may see representation in the governor’s office soon. Republican gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan recently captured national attention after surging past her Democratic opponent, Tina Kotek on residents’ frustration with rising crime and cost of living. If she wins, Drazan will become the first Republican elected governor in 40 years.

Drazan holds 3-point edge over Kotek in the RealClearPolitics polling average as of Friday.

Fox News notes that state boundaries have changed before - Maine seceded from Massachusetts in 1820, and North and South Dakota were simply the Territory of Dakota before 1889.