Bernie Sanders' uphill road to this year's Democratic presidential nomination has already wound through Portland twice, both times with major rallies at the Moda Center.

And this week -- with Oregon's May 17 primary increasingly important in Sanders' pursuit of Hillary Clinton -- the campaign has decided to stick around.

Sanders' campaign will open a Portland office starting Wednesday, inside a former real estate office in Northeast Portland. The office, at 2717 NE Broadway, will preside over a humble strip already home to a fireplace store and nail salon.

This will be the second Oregon office for Sanders, a Vermont senator, whose campaign set up shop in youth-heavy Eugene on Saturday. Clinton, a former secretary of state, has yet to open an office in the state, which is traditionally an afterthought in national contests because it votes so late. (Though her husband, former President Bill Clinton, did make a trip to Powell's last month.)

Sanders, however, is counting on big wins in late-voting states to keep alive his hopes of surpassing Clinton in pledged delegates before the Democratic convention this summer.

-- Denis C. Theriault

503-221-8430; @TheriaultPDX