PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Oregon’s Senior Senator Ron Wyden is coming off of a town hall tour, talking to residents in rural areas spanning Wasco, Morrow, Umatilla and Jackson counties.
When it comes to concerns from rural constituents, Wyden explained “they have been talking to me about agriculture, they’ve been talking to me about water, they’ve been talking to me about prescription drug prices. But what you may find surprising is in five open-to-all meetings – in counties that are pretty red, politically – I did not get one question about the former president.”
The senator’s town halls came as former President Trump was indicted on 34 counts of business fraud in relation to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
While Wyden says he’s not going to offer “running commentary” on the legal proceedings surrounding the indictment, he noted his family’s strong beliefs in “the rule of law and the rule of law applying to everybody.”
Instead, the senator told KOIN 6 News he’s focused on the issues weighing on Oregonians — issues that may also be politically divisive such as the Greater Idaho Movement.
“People ask me about this whole question of Oregon seceding and somehow becoming part of Idaho and we had a very thoughtful conversation,” Wyden said of his town halls. “It was an Oregon way conversation where we weren’t talking about Democrats and Republicans. We were talking about ways to address their issues.”
Senate Joint Memorial 2, also known as the Greater Idaho bill, was introduced on the floor of the Oregon legislature by Republican state Senator Dennis Linthicum of Klamath Falls on Jan. 10.
Some of those issues include Idaho having a sales tax whereas Oregon does not. He also points to water rights issues that would be impacted by the state line move and could impact Oregonians in the agriculture industry along with other trade jobs
“We were focused on things that really matter to Oregonians,” Wyden said.
In Wyden’s view, he says the movement “certainly is part of a response to the frustration folks in rural Oregon have about the valley and metropolitan areas.”
Greater Idaho Movement Spokesperson Matt McCaw previously told KOIN 6 News that eastern Oregon is more similar culturally, politically and economically to Idaho than western Oregon.
McCaw added, “our movement is about self-determination and matching people to government that they want and that matches their values. In Oregon, we’ve had this urban-rural divide for a very long time.”
In addition to the Greater Idaho Movement, Wyden says he heard concerns about U.S. targeted spending toward the war in Ukraine. The senator says it’s important to have spending oversight and emphasized America’s interest to support the “freedom fighters” in Ukraine.
While addressing the issues of his constituents, Wyden says he’s proud to represent Oregon and his commitment to hold town halls in all 36 counties.
“It goes back to the question of the Idaho movement and other kinds of political issues where there is division in our state. For a lot of Oregonians, D.C. might as well be Mars for all the connection it really has with us,” Wyden said.
“So, when I break it down in terms of agriculture, and roads, and rural schools and holding down the costs of their medicine, they think those are common interests. Those bring us together and I keep telling elected officials in the valley, that’s what you ought to try to do in the state legislature and other political bodies. You ought to be trying to build coalitions with people who not always see the world exactly like you do.”