At his massive 50,000-spectator rally at Portland's Tom McCall Waterfront Park yesterday, John Kerry announced to his supporters that he would be windsurfing up at the Columbia Gorge on Saturday (today). Hood River, Oregon--right in the middle of the gorge--is considered one of the best places in the world to windsurf, and Oregonians are indeed proud to boast such an attraction, so when Kerry said this, the crowd went wild.

Alas, the conditions today are not conducive to windsurfing (there is evidently a lack of wind, which I believe is a necessity for the sport), so Kerry had to tell supporters in the small town that he would not be able to go out on the river today--though he did make an even more important promise.

"But the Democratic presidential nominee told a cheering crowd of several hundred people he'll be returning in a few days to try again. 'Can you promise me wind on Monday or Tuesday,' Kerry shouted to the crowd.

He then added, 'more importantly, can you promise me some votes in November.' Kerry later confirmed to reporters that he intended to return next week, but details of the visit were still unclear. Kerry has been an avid windsurfer for years. He was the cover story on a 1998 issue of the 'American Windsurfer' magazine, whose publisher lives in the Columbia River Gorge."

While non-Oregonians and even some Eastern Oregonians (who are redder than Mississippi) might balk at the significance of this promised event, I don't think most residents of the state will take it lightly. True, it takes more than a nice photo-op to win over swing voters (though bicycling in one of the nation's most bike-friendly cities does look good); nevertheless, the if Kerry is able to ride the coattails of yesterday's hugely successful event (especially in the eyes of the local media) with a windsurfing event that also draws a good deal of media coverage, his image in the area will doubtless be improved.

While I don't believe Oregon should be considered a battleground state, it is good to see that John Kerry is not repeating the mistake of Al Gore four years ago. In October, Gore was forced to return to Portland to partake in a rally (in what should have been a solid state) to try to woo back some Nader voters; because he didn't invest enough time early in the campaign, he was unable to focus needed attention to other key states that could have won him the Presidency.

John Kerry will not be able to take Oregon for granted (and I don't think he would). Nevertheless, because he is being much more strategic than Gore was at this point in the last election, he is ensuring that his chances at winning Democratic-leaning states like Oregon and Washington are sufficiently high that he won't have to personally rally support often in October. Because of this, he will be able to meet with voters in closer states like North Carolina and West Virginia and thus increase the likelihood of stealing a state or two from the Bush column in November. As a result, while windsurfing may not be the key to the Presidency for John Kerry, it certainly wont hurt his candidacy.