As reported by the Portland Oregonian’s Matthew Preusch, the Clinton and Obama campaigns are generating more than partisan enthusiasm: “Around the corner from Clinton’s office, at the Jackson County Democrats’ headquarters, two books on Hillary Clinton were on display at a small lending library. Next to them was a sign reading, “All Obama books are currently checked out.”

“You won’t see a Clinton sign around here hardly at all,” said Paulie Brading, the county party chair. That’s partly because the campaign’s yard signs arrived only recently, she said.

She said Clinton should find an audience in the more rural part of the county, known for its fruit orchards, wineries and timber heritage. But, she added, in many parts of Medford and Ashland, where there are large numbers of Bay Area transplants, Obama signs are stuck in every third yard.

Regardless of who becomes the nominee, the ongoing primary battle has been a boon to local Democrats, said Brading, the county party chair.

In the 2004 election, Republicans outnumbered Democrats in Jackson County by about 10,000. Now that gap has closed to less than 4,000, Brading said.

“This fervor in both the Obama campaign and Clinton campaign has had remarkable benefits for us.”

Timber Rattler