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91 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, August 12, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend August 11, 2004 Chalk graffiti echoes Sen. John Kerry�s nomination speech outside the Jackson County Democratic Central Committee�s headquarters in Medford, where several thousand tickets for Kerry�s Thursday visit were handed out by Tuesday morning, officials said. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Kerry frenzy builds as visit nears Democrats by the thousands plan to welcome their candidate to Southern Oregon on Thursday By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune A Marine for six years and a Republican for 40, Randy Hoopingarner turned his back on the GOP in January because he just couldn’t support President Bush, he said. "I don’t think he’s got the intellect to be president," said the Eagle Point resident, who is now a registered Democrat along with his wife, Yvonne. "There’s a feeling of deviousness to the man." Hoopingarner acknowledged Sen. John Kerry has his "warts," but said, "He’s the best candidate." Still a conservative, Hoopingarner was one of several thousand so far who’ve received tickets for the Kerry rally set for Thursday at the Jackson County Expo. The gates will open at 3 p.m. to allow enough time to run people through security before entering the Isola Arena. Advertisement Kerry, who will be traveling to Eugene later that evening, will give a speech at about 5 p.m. Joanne Steele, a member of the Beat Bush Brigade from Mount Shasta, said that on Monday at the Jackson County Democratic Headquarters, "2,000 tickets went out before we could take a breath." Oregon Kerry campaign officials would not divulge the total number of tickets requested as of Tuesday night. This will be the first time in at least 50 years that a Democratic presidential nominee has visited Jackson County, signaling its importance in a state that former Vice President Al Gore won by only 6,700 votes in his 2000 bid for president. The event, which could see up to 7,500 people, comes just two weeks after Vice President Dick Cheney rallied 3,000 Republicans, also at the Expo. Republican officials have predicted that President Bush will probably hold a rally in Jackson County before the election. Rally site will be warm Expo director Chris Borovansky said the Isola Arena that will host the Sen. John Kerry rally can handle about 7,500 people but noted, "It’ll be crowded." With temperatures expected to hit 100 degrees Thursday, it will be a slightly cooler venue than the Compton Arena, which held the Republican rally for Vice President Dick Cheney two weeks ago, Borovansky said. "It’ll be like being in the shade," he said. "But it’s going to be warm." The Cheney campaign spent $14,000 to rent the Compton Arena, but Borovansky said the Isola Arena will cost from $5,000 to $7,000, depending on the support needed by the Kerry team. "It’s less of a facility than with Cheney," he said. The Isola is a covered equestrian arena with open sides. Although the floor is dirt, crews will water it down and roll it to make a hard surface to minimize dust. Kerry’s advance team hopes to add a misting system to keep the arena cooler and plans to have 10,000 bottles of water on hand for the crowd. Borovansky said hosting political officials for large events is what the Expo is all about. "We’ve kind of got the triple crown, with the president (in 2002), the vice president and now the (Democratic) presidential candidate," he said. Free tickets available Free tickets for the Sen. John Kerry rally, which is open to the public, will be available at the following locations through Thursday, the day of his visit. Tickets also will be available at the door. Those who can’t make it to one of the following locations may make other arrangements for tickets by calling the Democratic headquarters. Medford — Jackson County Democratic Headquarters, 130 E. Main St., 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., 858-1050. Ashland — Bloomsbury Books, 290 E. Main St., 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., 488-0029. Grants Pass — Josephine County Democratic Headquarters, 517 N.E. Seventh St., 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., 541-476-7683. Tickets are available online at www.johnkerry.com/medford . Kerry’s speech, set for 5 p.m., will be televised live by all three local news stations: KOBI Channel 5, KTVL Channel 10 and KDRV Channel 12. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities