Hillary Clinton’s campaign is becoming more visible in Oregon as the former secretary of state seeks to catch up with Bernie Sanders.
Clinton’s campaign will officially open its Oregon headquarters in Northeast Portland Tuesday. It’s her most visible move in Oregon's Democratic primary race that has been dominated by Sanders, a Vermont senator.
Sanders held a rally at Portland’s Moda Center last month and has opened four campaign offices around the state in advance of the May 17 primary.
Clinton’s Oregon team is headed by Jillian Schoene. She runs a Portland-based program that trains Democratic women to run for office.
Schoene said 3,000 Oregonians have volunteered to help the former secretary of state. Many belong to major public employee unions that have endorsed Clinton. The campaign has also set up a separate phone-banking office in Portland.
Sixty-one delegates are at stake in the primary. They will be awarded proportionately, so Clinton doesn’t need to win to get a hefty share of them. She leads in the national delegate count and is seeking to prevent Sanders from making any big gains on her.
The Clinton campaign is holding an office-opening party at 6 p.m. Tuesday at 1925 NE 42nd Ave.