U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer this week became the first Democrat in Oregon’s congressional delegation to publicly urge President Joe Biden to end his quest for re-election.

Politicians and pundits nationally have been transfixed by the question of whether Biden, having fumbled his June 27 campaign debate with former President Donald Trump, should give way to a different Democratic candidate. Biden again stumbled at times during a press conference Thursday evening, including referring to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump.”

A majority of Democratic voters nationwide believe Biden should end his reelection bid, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll conducted July 5-9.

Meanwhile, media watchers and ethicists are dissecting the incessant news coverage. Kelly McBride, public editor at NPR and chair of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership at The Poynter Institute, wrote on LinkedIn: “News consumers are baffled by the media’s sudden obsession with the question of whether Joe Biden should stay on the presidential ballot. … Journalists believe that this crisis in the Democratic Party is an absolutely Earth-shaking political development. How can the press bridge that gap?”

All this raises a question: What are Oregon’s top Democrats hearing from their constituents – do Oregonians want Biden to stay in the race or go?

I put that question to a range of Democratic congressional, statewide and legislative officials. A few answered directly. Some ducked and assailed Trump. Others stayed silent.

Among the succinct but informative responses were ones from Gov. Tina Kotek’s press secretary, Congresswoman Val Hoyle and Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade’s communications director.

“The Governor’s Constituent Services Office received 12 messages of support for the 2024 Biden/Harris campaign and over 450 messages expressing concern with President Biden’s candidacy following the debate,” press secretary Anca Matica said in an email Wednesday.

Hoyle told me by phone that in her office, “It’s been literally 50-50 on President Biden should stay, President Biden should go.”

Unlike Hoyle, neither Blumenauer nor Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici responded to me.

The state Elections Division, which is part of the Secretary of State’s Office, has been fielding questions about the process, including what would happen if Biden were to drop out and whether the Democratic Party of Oregon could nominate a different candidate. “We’ve been helping constituents understand what election law says,” Communications Director Laura Kerns said.

Some Oregon Democrats reported nary a peep from constituents about Biden’s status – at least not through regular office communications. That was the case for Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, Senate President Rob Wagner, House Speaker Julie Fahey and House Majority Leader Ben Bowman.

In emailing the Democratic politicians, I framed the overall question this way: “What is [your] office hearing from constituents about whether Biden should give way to a different Democratic candidate? Are you getting many calls, emails, etc., about this? Which way are they trending, and do they represent a particular segment of the political spectrum?”

Hank Stern, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, sent this response: “As expected with any topic in the news, Oregonians’ calls and emails to our office represent a broad range of opinion on both sides of the question.” He included a Wyden statement expressing pride in what Biden has accomplished and opposing Trump.

Oregon’s senior senator made the news Tuesday for being “visibly annoyed” that the Biden campaign had not taken his advice. “I think it’s clear right now, that the kinds of discussions that I suggested a long time ago — unscripted town halls, people looking him in the eye — that’s what I think the country’s hungry for,” Wyden said, as reported by The Daily Beast.

Wyden is a master of such town halls, having held more than 1,000. He has ones scheduled Saturday in Albany and McMinnville, Sunday in St. Helens and Wednesday in Medford.

Several politicians, or their aides, sidestepped my question and/or sent me to their campaign representatives.

The office of State Treasurer Tobias Read, who is running for secretary of state, referred me to campaign manager Andrea Phillips. She offered this comment from Read: “I hear from voters every day about the need to defeat Trump and his politics of fear and resentment.”

Molly Prescott, Oregon press secretary for U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, who considered his own presidential bid four years ago, said in her email: “The Senator hears feedback on all manner of issues from constituents, including the 2024 presidential election, and takes their thoughts and concerns seriously.”

She provided a quote attributable to Merkley, which also was used in a Willamette Week article on Monday: “It is President’s Biden decision whether he will remain in the 2024 race. He has said that he will. As long as he’s the nominee, I will do everything I can to help him win.”

As with Wyden, Merkley’s statement went on to criticize Trump and praise Biden.

Thomas Wheatley, a political adviser to Gov. Kotek, reiterated that she and other Democratic governors met virtually last week with Biden and Harris. Afterward, Kotek affirmed her backing for Biden. (New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, who tried to run against Kotek and others for Oregon governor in 2022, opined that Biden should “perform the ultimate act of statesmanship and withdraw from the presidential race.”)

In his role as Congresswoman Andrea Salinas’ communications director, Sam Forbes sent me this response: “Because this is a political question, we are restricted by Congressional Ethics guidelines not to respond from an official capacity. So unfortunately, I’m not able to answer your question.”

The next day, Forbes responded in his campaign role and provided this statement from Salinas: “I think President Biden should do what is best for the American people. The reality is that we cannot afford another four years of chaos and tyranny under Donald Trump — and we have to stand united in our efforts to defeat him and protect our democracy. In the meantime, I’m staying focused on winning reelection so I can continue delivering for the people of the Sixth District.”

The Republican National Convention, where Trump officially will become the party’s presidential nominee, begins Monday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Oregon’s delegation includes state Senate Republican Leader Daniel Bonham of The Dalles and Sen. David Brock Smith of Port Orford. National Committeewoman Tracy Honl chairs the delegation.