‘The division has always been here’: Parts of US state of Oregon seek to join Idaho

OREGON: For Oregon resident Matt McCaw, the big question is not why his state should remain as it is – but rather, why it will not be formally divided.
The executive director of the “Greater Idaho” movement has been organising county referendums to demonstrate support for redrawing America’s map.
McCaw’s group, which began in 2020, aims to separate Democrats in the west from Republicans in the east.
It has been campaigning to draw a new border line down the middle of the Pacific Northwestern state to merge the Republican half with its conservative neighbouring state Idaho.
According to the group, the two sides of Oregon are wildly different in all aspects from landscapes to lifestyles, reinforcing their ideological differences.
The west of Oregon is home to the state’s urban metropolitan cities like Portland and Salem, where most of the progressive and liberal population vote blue.
Meanwhile, supporters of the Greater Idaho movement argue that the rural eastern counties have more in common with Idaho, and are not sufficiently represented in Oregon’s state politics.
Several state laws also differ between Oregon and Idaho, including abortion access, drug laws and sales tax.
Oregon’s governor Tina Kotek acknowledged the movement last year, saying she hoped to address these political complaints during her planned trips to every Oregon county in her first year in office.
“There are a lot of Oregonians who are frustrated and don’t feel heard. That, I think, is what the movement is about,” she said.
As of July, 13 of the state’s 36 counties had approved ballot measures in favour of joining Idaho. But changing these state boundaries would require approval from the US Congress and state legislatures of Oregon and Idaho.
In May, voters in the city of Prineville – which sits on the dividing line – were the latest to say that they want to leave Oregon.
If the movement succeeds, the Oregon border will move 200 miles (320km) to the west, shifting 14 counties and parts of several other counties under Idaho.
One of those fighting to keep Oregon together is Democrat Brian Samp.
The electrician is running for a seat in Oregon’s House of Representatives – the lower chamber of Congress that is charged with passing federal legislation.
“If everybody is willing to sit down and have a discussion, instead of pointing fingers, we might get something done,” Samp told CNA.
Communities closer to the Idaho border, such as the small town of Hines, feel the most closely aligned with their neighbour.
Hines resident Toni Foster said she believes Oregon’s divisions are beyond repair.
“Stop the push, let people live their life. They’ve been doing it for years – let them do it,” she said. “We need to keep our values – it’s family, friends, God and country. You have to have it all.”
Even at a peaceful Sunday market in Portland, the state’s largest city known for its vast green spaces and eclectic cultures, simmering tensions are evident.
Market seller Sue Kenney pointed out: “I definitely feel that division, and when you drive around different communities you get a strong sense of it.”
McCaw previously said he feels the same sentiments and that policies have been forced on unwilling residents who disagree with some state laws.
“The Greater Idaho movement didn’t come along and cause division. The division has always been here,” he said.