There's a movement to absorb parts of Oregon into Idaho — and Idaho lawmakers are listening

Tim O'Donnell
·1 min read

Could Idaho absorb eastern and rural Oregon? The short answer is almost certainly not, although Idaho's state lawmakers, at least, are listening.

On Monday, representatives from a group called Move Oregon's Border for a Greater Idaho pitched their plan to expand Idaho's border so that the state would include much of Oregon, save for the northwestern region, to members of the Idaho House and Senate, The Associated Press reports.

Basically, the idea is that Oregon's politics and culture are too deeply divided to co-exist. The division lies between liberal-leaning Portland and its surrounding area, and the rest of the state, which is more conservative. The proposal would leave college towns like Eugene and Corvallis, which lie south of Portland, remaining in Oregon. Idaho is a deep red state, so some folks outside of Portland's orbit would rather link up with their neighbors.

Idaho's legislature was interested in the presentation, per AP, but in all likelihood the strategy has little going for it. Even if Idaho agreed, Oregon's legislature and the U.S. Congress would also to have sign off, both of which are long shots, to put it mildly.

The New York Times' Nicholas Kristof, an Oregonian, is definitely not a fan of the proposal, though he did joke that he'd be okay with an expansion if the roles flipped.

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