Rob Cornilles: Look! Family values!
  • Rob Cornilles: Look! Family values!
Could Oregon Congressman David Wu's resignation this morning mean that (gasp!) a swath of downtown Portland will soon be represented by a Republican?

The district stretches all the way from SW Portland to the coast, encompassing the right-leaning Washington, Yamhill, Clatsop, and Columbia counties. In November 2010, Wu got only 54 percent of the vote in the district. We reluctantly endorsed Wu because opponent Rob Cornilles vhad never run for public office, but he got the Oregonian's nod.

That's right—running a race for US Congress against a Republican who had never run for office before, Wu got only 54 percent of the vote. Imagine what could happen in an open race with a Republican people have actually heard of and has experience.

Plus, add in people who may be dispirited with voting Democrat thanks to Wu's problems. A red District One seems like a real possibility.

Oregon Republican Party spokesman Allen Alley points out that the district was only four or five percentage points away from voting for Republican gubernatorial Chris Dudley, too. While Democrats Brad Avakian and Brad Witt have jumped into the race for Wu's seat, no Republican has declared. But, says Alley, there's plenty of potential candidates. Rob Cornilles has expressed an interest. "The other guy that's been talked about is Rob Miller, he's a business guy from Beaverton," says Alley. "In a short time frame like this, you might also have state representatives who could jump in, like Katie Brewer, Shaun Lindsay, or Bruce Starr who all are in that district."