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77 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, August 5, 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 July 24, 2004 Cheney plans valley visit By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Vice President Dick Cheney will rally Jackson County Republicans at the Expo Center on Friday as part of a West Coast campaign tour to bolster President Bush’s reelection chances in Oregon and 15 other battleground states. About 5,000 Republicans from Jackson, Josephine and Klamath counties will be invited to the event, although an exact time hasn’t been released yet for security reasons. "It’s going to be great," said Bryan Platt, chairman of the Jackson County Republican Central Committee. "This is Bush/Cheney country." Bush narrowly lost Oregon in the 2000 race by about 7,000 votes, but he did well in Jackson County. "We won this county for Bush over Gore in 2000 with roughly a 3,000-vote edge," said Platt. Advertisement Even though Oregon has only seven electoral votes, Platt said, "Every electoral vote will help. We’re not taking anything for granted." Cheney’s visit comes almost two years after Bush’s sweep through the valley to promote the thinning of forests to help prevent devastating wildfires. Platt said the rally at the Expo will be similar to the one held for Bush. Blocks of tickets, which won’t cost anything, will be handed out to different Republican delegations from the three counties. Platt said the largest block of tickets will go to Jackson County. Cheney, who along with the president plans a month-long campaign offensive, will also appear at a reception in Portland Monday to lend his support for Republican congressional candidates. Platt, who received confirmation of Cheney’s visit Friday morning, is attending the Oregon Republican Party Convention in Keizer, where Cheney’s wife, Lynne Cheney, will be speaking today. He said the chances are also pretty good that President Bush will make a visit to Jackson County in the future. "I wouldn’t be surprised to see him here," he said. Republican Rep. Dennis Richardson of Central Point said the Cheney visit will give local Republicans a chance to get a true measure of the man, rather than the image generated from the Washington Beltway. "This presidential campaign so far has been very negative, very early," he said. "People don’t know what to believe about the candidates." Bill Layton, chairman of the Jackson County Democratic Central Committee, wonders whether Cheney will make himself available to answer any tough questions during his visit. Layton said he doesn’t know if there will be any demonstrations planned for the Cheney stop. "If they try to demonstrate, they will be kept so far away it won’t be effective," he said. Layton, who said he didn’t know if Kerry or Edwards plan to swing through Jackson County during the campaign, said the Cheney visit should create quite a stir in Jackson County. "I’ll be interested in what he has to say out here in Southern Oregon," he said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] 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 RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times