FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Erik Dorey | Communications Director | (503) 239-8624
Portland, Ore. — Meredith Wood Smith, Chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon, released the following statement today upon learning that the Oregon Republican Party had canceled its planned March 19 presidential primary debate:
“From the day it was announced to much attention and fanfare, this GOP presidential debate was wholly welcomed by the Democratic Party of Oregon. Democrats were interested, albeit skeptical, to learn whether Mitt Romney and his fellow candidates had anything of substance to offer Oregonians.
“This is just the latest setback for Oregon Republicans, after a landslide defeat in the January 31 congressional special election and their failure even to recruit candidates for major 2012 races. The Republican establishment in Oregon, it turns out, has much in common with establishment Republicans like Mitt Romney–they’ll say anything to sound good, but ultimately they have nothing to offer mainstream voters but failed ideas and empty promises.
“Anybody surprised by the failure of this much-hyped debate, or by Mitt Romney and his fellow candidates’ disinterest in Oregon issues and voters, simply hasn’t been paying attention. What Oregonians got this week from the Republican party is exactly what middle-class Americans everywhere can expect from someone like Mitt Romney: nothing.”
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