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Oregon's primary is secondary Candidates have until May to tap state's votes From staff and wire reports SALEM -- Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush have won the Iowa presidential caucuses, but they have a long way to go before worrying about Oregon. Gore and Bush, plus John McCain, a Republican who bypassed Iowa, are the only presidential candidates who have put down stakes here. Only Bush is active in all 36 counties. Oregon is one of the last states with a primary, on May 16. It was moved back from the 1996 date of March 5. "We are getting less attention right now because we are down the primary list," said Dick Springer of Portland, a former state legislator on the Oregon steering committee for Gore. "After the New Hampshire primary, things will become a little more formal." Bush has two state coordinators. The coordinator for five counties in Southern Oregon and 17 of the 18 east of the Cascades is Leigh Johnson of Medford, who works with the Smith West government consulting firm in Medford. Bush also has support from most of the party establishment, including U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith, Oregon's top elected Republican and Bush's Oregon campaign chairman. Bill Thorndike Jr. of Medford is the Jackson County chairman for Bush. He is president of Medford Fabrication. He has served in similar roles for past campaigns of Gordon Smith and U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, both Oregon Republicans. Lee and Judith Spargo, retirees from Grants Pass, are the Josephine County co-chairs for Bush. Democrat Bill Bradley received backing last week from Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, who became the first governor to endorse the former New Jersey senator. Kitzhaber spokesman Bob Applegate said he knew of no Bradley organization in the state. Bradley has an Oregon liaison in his West Orange, N.J., campaign headquarters. "There's a small army for Gore and four people for Bradley," said Oregon Democratic Party Chairman Jim Edmunson. "He doesn't have enough people to field a basketball team." McCain, the Arizona senator who skipped Iowa to concentrate on New Hampshire, has two former prisoners of war heading his Oregon efforts. They are Ernest Brace of Klamath Falls, a civilian prisoner housed in the same prison as McCain during the Vietnam War, and retired Navy Capt. John McMichael of Portland, a Naval Academy classmate of McCain's. "We decided we are going to organize in late February, when we will have a better idea of what is going on and more money will be coming in, if he's taken New Hampshire and South Carolina," Brace said. "I think it all depends on how he does." The only other Republican presidential contender with a presence in Oregon is Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, but he dropped out of the race after his last-place showing in Iowa. Steve Forbes has a staff member assigned to Oregon from his headquarters in Alexandria, Va. Gary Bauer and Alan Keyes have none so far, according to the state GOP. Oregon law gives Secretary of State Bill Bradbury "sole discretion" to determine which candidates will be on the May 16 ballot. He announced Monday that his preliminary choices are Bradley, Gore, Bauer, Bush, Forbes, Hatch, Keyes and McCain. He will list finalists between March 7, Oregon's filing deadline, and March 16. Candidates also can qualify if they obtain signatures from 5,000 voters registered in their party -- 1,000 from each of Oregon's five congressional districts. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA