Editing Tom McCall (section)

=== Vortex I ===
{{main|Vortex I}}

During the late summer of 1970, McCall was faced with a potential riot in Portland. In May of that year a week-long student protest at [[Portland State University]] over the [[Kent State shootings]] had been violently dispersed by police, and tensions were high. The conservative [[American Legion]] had scheduled a convention in Portland later that summer; local antiwar groups were organizing a series of demonstrations at the same time under the name of the "People's Army Jamboree" and expected to draw up to 50,000 protesters.<ref>{{cite news |first=John |last=Kirkland |title=News: Off the Shelf: Winter 2005 |magazine=PSU Magazine |date=January 19, 2005 |url=http://www.pdx.edu/magazine/news/off-the-shelf-winter-2005 |access-date=2011-04-10 |archive-date=2012-10-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022113310/http://www.pdx.edu/magazine/news/off-the-shelf-winter-2005 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

After attempts to convince the People's Army Jamboree to either not carry out their plans or to move the date, McCall was convinced by a group of hippies to hold the country's first state-sponsored [[rock festival]] at [[Milo McIver State Park]] near [[Estacada, Oregon]]. "Vortex I: A Biodegradable Festival of Life," as it was called, was inspired by the [[Woodstock Festival]] held the previous year, and was intended to draw radical youth out of Portland and reduce the potential for confrontation with the Legionnaires.<ref name = "Love" >{{cite book |first=Matt |last=Love |title=The Far Out Story of Vortex I |publisher=Nestucca Spit Press |year=2004 |isbn=0-9744364-1-0 }}</ref> "I think I just committed political suicide," McCall is reported to have remarked immediately after approving the event.<ref name = "Love" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Oregon Heritage News |publisher=Oregon State Library |date=2004-10-27 |url=http://listsmart.osl.state.or.us/pipermail/heritage/2004-October/000283.html |access-date=2007-04-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050908161051/http://listsmart.osl.state.or.us/pipermail/heritage/2004-October/000283.html |archive-date=2005-09-08 }}</ref>

However, the festival, nicknamed "The Governor's Pot Party", was a success, attracting between 50,000 and 100,000 people. The feared violent clash between the antiwar groups and the Legion was avoided, and McCall was re-elected in November with 56% of the vote, again defeating Bob Straub.