KOIN News Political Analyst Jim Moore   John McCain is running an ad on Oregon television. It stresses his family history of military service, his personal story as a POW in Vietnam, and his commitment to keeping America safe.   Why is he...

It’s finally June 3, the day of the last primaries in the 2008 season. Yes, it’s been a long time since January 3 and the Iowa caucuses, but it seems like even longer what with all those candidates campaigning throughout 2007.   While the Republicans...

On paper, Gordon Smith is an incumbent without many worries for reelection. He is relatively popular in Oregon, he has won two out of the three statewide elections he has entered (last loss in January 1996), and he has a formidable reelection bank account....

Oregon will play an important role in the fall 2008 elections.   The fifth congressional district seat, currently held by Democrat Darlene Hooley, is up for grabs. The Republicans see it as one of their best shots in the country to gain a seat...

Voter turnout   It should be a large turnout for Democrats (especially all those newly registered Democrats) in the May primary. For the Republicans, not so much.   Statewide, the exciting races are on the Democratic ballot. However, we’ll...

For the first time in over a decade, multiple new office holders have an actual chance to hold power in City Hall. One of the keys to these races, however, is that a candidate must get more than 50% of the vote to win outright in the May primary. If no...

Oregon’s Fifth Congressional DistrictAfter the surprise retirement of Darlene Hooley, this race looks to become one of the most competitive in the country for the fall elections. There is a chance that this district could be the only one that Republicans...

 Presidential race   The big deal will be if Barack Obama declares victory as a result of the Oregon election. He could nail down enough delegates that it would be impossible for Clinton to overtake him. Note that this does not mean that Obama...

From Jim Moore, KOIN political analyst (and Pacific University political scientist).   A good night for Barack Obama, but not the decisive night he needed to end the primary contest with Hillary Clinton. Obama’s substantial victory in North Carolina...