PORTLAND, Ore. (KGW) — President Joe Biden is stopping in Portland this weekend as part of a three-state West tour ahead of the midterm elections next month.
The president stopped in Colorado and California before he arrives in Oregon Friday to attend a couple events and give a speech in Portland, according to a release from the White House.
This is Biden’s second trip to Oregon this year, a state where presidential visits tend to be relatively rare.
Traffic is expected to be heavy around Downtown Portland and on the east side as the president’s motorcade moves around the city. Read on for what we know about his visit.
What he’s doing
The president will discuss his plan to protect and strengthen Medicare and Social Security. He will also talk about the Inflation Reduction Act and lowering prescription drug costs for seniors.
Biden will meet with older adults who are set to benefit from provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act that will go into effect starting Jan. 1, 2023. During his trip to the West Coast, he’s expected to sign an executive order directing the Oregon Department of Health and Human Services to explore actions it can take to lower prescription drug costs.
He is participating in a grassroots volunteer event with Oregon Democrats on Friday and attending a reception for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tina Kotek in Portland on Saturday.
The president will also visit a community center where he will be joined by Oregon Democratic senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici.
The White House has not publicly released the locations he’ll visit. A KGW reporter spotted fences being put up late Thursday afternoon in the downtown area, around multiple blocks near Pioneer Courthouse Square.
Why he’s here
Democratic officials hope that while in Oregon, Biden can help consolidate the party’s support behind Kotek.
Early voting starts in the state next week and the Democratic party is in danger of losing the governor’s race in the traditionally blue state, as Betsy Johnson — a former Republican and Democrat who has since quit both parties — has mounted a well-financed bid against both Kotek and the GOP’s pick, Christine Drazan.
“You can make the assumption that the reason it’s very tight is because Betsy Johnson is a strong candidate in this race,” said Jim Moore, a politics professor at Pacific University. “She’s kind of upended the usual calculus we would make of registered Democrats far outnumbering registered republicans and the way unaffiliated voters would vote.”
When he’s arriving and departing
The president is expected to arrive at Portland International Airport on Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. He’ll stay overnight in Portland and will depart Saturday early afternoon.
KGW will live stream the president’s arrival, departure and speech. You can watch that in the video player above, the KGW News app, the KGW YouTube channel or KGW+ on Roku or Amazon Fire when that happens.
Traffic impacts
Portland police have warned traffic will be impacted during the late afternoon hours and evening on Friday and to plan ahead for travel delays.
TriMet said its service for MAX Blue and Red line riders will be disrupted in downtown Portland from 6 a.m. Friday through as late as 6 p.m. Saturday. Service for MAX Green, Orange and Yellow lines will be disrupted in downtown from noon Friday through 6 p.m. Saturday. TriMet bus service downtown isn’t expected to be disrupted until about 5 p.m. Friday and bus lines will be detoured as needed.
The MAX Red Line between Portland International Airport and Gateway Transit Center is also expected to see major delays Friday between 5:30 to 7 p.m. and Saturday between 2 to 4 p.m.
Delays may also occur on the east side during the president’s visit as police will have MAX trains, buses and cars stop whenever the president or his motorcade is nearby, TriMet added.
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