With just 13 days until the primary election, Oregon’s gubernatorial candidates are competing vigorously for their party’s nominations.
A recent Rasmussen poll, which surveyed 500 likely voters in Oregon in late April, shows the front-runners are neck and neck.
The Democratic primaries will feature three candidates, with former Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury and former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber leading the race. A mid-April poll conducted by Portland pollster Tim Hibbitts showed Kitzhaber as the Democratic favorite, taking 50 percent of the vote, compared to 21 percent for Bradbury and 4 percent for the third candidate, Roger Obrist.
In the Republican primary, nine candidates will be competing for the party’s nomination. Former CEO of Pixelworks Allen Alley, former Trail Blazers center Chris Dudley, state congressman John Lim and tax activist Bill Sizemore have debated several times in recent weeks. The recent Rasmussen poll shows Dudley emerging as the strongest GOP contender.
According to the poll, Dudley has surpassed the popularity of his Republican competitors and enjoys the same levels of support as both of the front-running Democratic potentials, an early statement in a state generally accepted as a Democratic stronghold. Both Democrats, when pitted against Dudley, tie him with about 40 percent support. This comes as a contrast to a February poll conducted by Rasmussen, in which Kitzhaber and Bradbury showed leads over Dudley, by 6 and 3 percent, respectively. 
Looking forward to cross-party match-ups in the fall, the polls showed Kitzhaber and Bradbury both gaining distance on other Republican potentials by leads of up to 16 points.
Republican contenders such as Alley, Lim and Sizemore all fared worse in this survey than in previous ones.
In several debates late last month, Republican front-runners battled to frame themselves as the candidate who will save the economy.
Tim Maloney, campaign manager for Alley, said their campaign believes the economic climate will dictate who the votes lean toward come the general election.
“We feel very confident that in this economy, Mr. Alley’s message is resonating,” Maloney said. “Every time educated voters have spoken they’ve decided that Allen Alley is the most qualified.”
He said the Alley camp is maintaining its strategy despite apparently losing ground to Dudley in the Rasmussen poll.
The Dudley campaign could not be reached for comment.
Derek Humphrey, a spokesperson for the Kitzhaber campaign, said his candidate is expecting a competitive primary as well as a competitive general election.
“We’re very well positioned to win the primary,” Humphrey said. “People may remember Gov. Kitzhaber won big against Bill Sizemore in ’98 … We know a lot will depend on the national mood, and a blowout is not likely to happen again.”
Despite polls showing an uncomfortably close race for Democratic nominees come the general election, the primaries remain at the forefront of candidates’ concerns.
“This is an incredibly important primary,” Humphrey said. “We’re hoping for a good base support in Eugene.”
Amy Wojcicki, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Oregon, said the DPO is preparing for potential matchups with GOP opponents, but it’s too early to worry about polling.
“It’s a little early to speculate on how the general election might look. It’s May; we have until November,” Wojcicki said. “We are getting prepared for a race against either Allen Alley or Chris Dudley.”
The Oregon Republican Party could not be reached for comment. The primaries for both parties will take place May 18.
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