The eastern part of Oregon is ideologically at odds with the urban and progressive areas of the state, as evidenced by the intensity of anti-police protests in Portland in 2020.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Conservative eastern Oregon has proposed to secede from the state and become part of the neighboring red state of Idaho.
The eastern part of Oregon is ideologically at odds with the urban and progressive areas of the state, as evidenced by the intensity of anti-police protests in Portland in 2020.
“The Greater Idaho Movement has always been about the people of Eastern Oregon getting their voices heard and helping those communities get the kind of state-level governance they actually want,” Executive Director Matt McCaw told Fox News Digital.
“If the Oregon Legislature truly believes in democracy, they will honor those voters’ wishes and move forward on making a border change happen.”
Earlier this month, State Rep. Mark Owens (R-Malheur) introduced HB 3844, a bill that establishes a task force to assess the impact of moving the Idaho border to include approximately 13 eastern Oregon counties. The measure also mandates that a report be submitted to lawmakers in Salem.
The Greater Idaho Movement began sponsoring measures in favor of secession during the Portland riots in 2020, and calls to join Idaho have grown louder as the ideological divisions persist.
In 2020, Portland was nearly at a standstill during a violent standoff in front of the Mark Hatfield Federal Courthouse that lasted for days.
Greater Idaho President Mike McCarter commented on the proposal: “We are encouraged to see the representatives of Eastern Oregon coming together to advocate for their voters by bringing these bills to the Legislature. The people of Eastern Oregon have made it clear they want to explore moving the border and joining Idaho.”
“This movement has always been about the people of Eastern Oregon getting their voices heard and helping those communities get the kind of state-level governance they actually want.”
Although similar calls to secede from one state and join another have rarely been successful, there are other proposals in various parts of the United States.
For instance, a number of conservative, rural communities in Illinois are seeking to disassociate themselves from progressive Chicago and join neighboring red state Indiana.
For decades, Staten Island has sought to secede from New York City, and despite a 2-to-1 vote by the residents to secede, the measure was quashed by New York State’s Democratic Party.
