PORTLAND, Ore. — Vice President Kamala Harris has now secured enough votes from Democratic delegates to become the party's nominee for President of the United States. That makes her poised to be the first woman of color at the top of a major party ticket.
Longtime Congressman Earl Blumenauer is very pleased with how things are going, and the grassroots support and excitement he sees getting the Harris campaign off to a strong start.
That's left him hopeful, as he himself is set to retire at the end of his current term.
KGW’s Tim Gordon sat down with Blumenauer, with 150 days left before his retirement. The life-long Portlander and Democrat has represented part of Oregon for 28 years, and seen a lot in that time — but never anything like what's happened during this presidential election campaign.
Blumenauer was the first and only member of Oregon’s congressional delegation to publicly say Joe Biden should step aside, and he was among a small group in Congress to emerge early on and make that statement.
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“It's not the easiest thing to make a suggestion like that to the person who's been the best president in 50 years,” said Blumenauer.
The congressman applauded the president's accomplishments, and said he's proud of Biden for putting the country first by ending his campaign and focusing on the final months of his presidency.
Biden's surprise decision to step aside quickly thrust Vice President Kamala Harris into the presidential campaign spotlight, and the party coalesced around her in a matter of weeks.
Gordon asked how Blumenauer would rate the first two weeks of the Harris campaign. The congressman quickly said, “Eleven and a half! I mean really, I had confidence that these pieces would fall in place but I was just shocked the how well she's handled herself and the public reaction.”
As for Congressman Blumenauer, he said he looks forward to finishing strong in areas of infrastructure and environment, and then he’ll be passing the torch himself before starting an active retirement here at home.
“I’m looking for some long-haul investment of time and energy on issues that are still not finished yet, that I can work on as a civilian," he said, "and then being back here on the ground (in Portland) ... it's just really something I’m looking forward to.”
But first, Blumenauer plans to be busy in the nation's capital, especially in the lame duck session after the election when he thinks Congress may be more willing and able to get some things done. He'll also be working to pave the way for his presumptive replacement in November, Democratic nominee Maxine Dexter, who is strongly favored to win in the heavily blue congressional district.