OR-5: Day won’t push Republicans to back Erickson

MINNEAPOLIS -- Mike Erickson (R-Lake Oswego) could use a little emotional support. A week ago, he endured a harsh week of attacks from Oregon Democrats at the Democratic National Convention, calling him everything from a “weasel” to a “schmuck.” So with this week’s Republican National Convention kicking into gear, conventional wisdom would assume that Oregon Republicans would rush to their congressional candidate’s defense.

But ORGOP chair Vance Day said Tuesday that he would not be making or asking any candidate to step up and support Erickson as his campaign headed into the final part of the election cycle.

“He probably could use some help,” Day said from the Republican National Convention in Minnesota. “But the way I view it is I don’t push any elected official or individual to endorse anyone for the job.”

Day acknowledged that Erickson had difficulties with Republicans in the past, including former 5th Congressional District candidate and current Oregon delegate Kevin Mannix. It was Mannix who unveiled the accusations that Erickson had paid for a former girlfriend's abortion. The accusations hit Erickson, who was running a strong family values platform at the time, very hard.

“Earlier in the primaries, I would say there were some scuffles,” Day said. “But Kevin and Mike have both moved on from that.”

However, they haven’t moved far enough along for Mannix to officially back Erickson. Mannix’s campaign manager Amy Langdon told PolitickerOR.com shortly after the primary that he would not support Erickson’s candidacy because “he cannot support a dishonest man."

And while other Republican officials, including U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Pendleton) and Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River), have not been quite so blunt, they have kept their distance as well. Day said he would not try to persuade them to do otherwise.

“Endorsements are not really the Oregon model for supporting candidates,” Day said. “You wouldn’t necessarily see Gordon Smith with his arm around Mike Erickson because we just don’t do that in Oregon.”

Erickson is not attending this week’s Republican National Convention, and is opting to campaign in his home district, according to his campaign manager Jeff Harvey.