Having chased his final rivals from the Republican presidential primary after Tuesday's big win in Indiana, Donald Trump no longer needs triumphant victories in Oregon and Washington this month to seal the deal.
That also means that the businessman no longer needs to make a highly visible campaign swing through the Northwest planned for this weekend.
And yet? Hours after Trump's emergence as the GOP's presumptive nominee, visits to Oregon and Washington both remain on.
"I have received no indication there will be any changes to the schedule," said Washington state Sen. Don Benton of Vancouver, Trump's campaign chief in Washington. "The trip to Washington is happening as far as I know."
Trump is expected to speak in Eugene on Friday night, according to sources close to his campaign. Then, on Saturday, he'll be in Washington -- although details about when and where remain fuzzy. That fuzziness includes talk of an appearance in Clark County, just across the Columbia from Portland.
The visits won't be Trump's first since claiming the Republican standard. He's scheduled to speak in West Virginia on Thursday. But they'll keep Trump front and center ahead of Oregon's May 17 election and Washington's May 24 Republican presidential contest.
-- Denis C. Theriault
503-221-8430; @TheriaultPDX