The fate of Oregon’s genetically modified organism labeling initiative will hinge on whether heavy spending by opponents can overcome the liberal leanings of urban voters, experts say. Dueling campaigns on Measure 92, which would require labeling of foods containing GMOs, will soon be operating at full throttle now that Labor Day has passed, political analysts agree.
What’s far less certain is whether Oregon will buck the trend of biotech proponents defeating GMO labeling initiatives with well-funded campaign efforts, as occurred in Washington and California, experts say.
Bill Lunch, a retired political science professor at Oregon State University and a longtime state political pundit, says Oregon’s large population of liberal urban voters is not an insurmountable obstacle for opponents of GMO labeling. Washington has an even larger urban population but voters rejected a similar GMO labeling initiative last year, Lunch says.
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“The opponents have the upper hand,” says Lunch. “If they won in Washington, they should be able to win in Oregon.”
Read the full, original article: Urban vote key to GMO campaign
