Three Consecutive Polls Show Christine Drazan Leading Tina Kotek in Oregon Governor’s Race

Voters in deep blue Oregon are leaning toward Republican Christine Drazan in the state’s “toss-up” gubernatorial race, three consecutive polls have shown.

The most recent poll, from Nelson Research, shows Former Oregon House Republican leader Drazan leading former Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek (D) 33.4 percent to 31.5 percent, which is within the survey’s ±3.9 percent margin of error. Roughly 19 percent of 620 likely voters support Betsy Johnson, a former Democrat state senator who is running as an independent.

According to the Oregon Capital Chronicle, the Associated General Contractors Oregon-Columbia chapter, a trade association for the construction industry, paid for the poll. The association reportedly “primarily backs Republican candidates, and it has given $100,000 apiece to Johnson and Drazan this year, according to state campaign finance records.”

The results closely resemble an independent survey of 600 likely voters commissioned by The Oregonian and released last week showing Drazan leading Kotek 32 percent to 31 percent.  A separate poll by Clout Research also released last week found that Drazan has 38 percent support compared to Kotek’s 35 percent.

The Clout Research survey shows how Drazan is benefiting more than Kotek from the support of unaffiliated voters, 40 percent to 16 percent, as well as how 59 percent of voters feel Oregon is headed in the wrong direction under the leadership of deeply-unpopular Democrat Gov. Kate Brown. Pollsters also note that Johnson’s presence in the race may be siphoning votes away from Kotek.

Drazan’s Communications Director John Burke said recent favorable polling shows “Oregonians are ready to turn the page.”

“After a decade of decline under one-party rule, Oregonians are ready to turn the page and elect a leader who will put our state on course for a new direction and get results starting on Day One,” Burke said in a statement.

“Christine’s Roadmap for Oregon’s Future offers new solutions to tackle challenges from crime to homelessness to affordability. Oregonians are rallying behind Christine’s comprehensive agenda to bring change; that’s why polls show her leading and poised to win on November 8,” he continued.

The election will take place in fewer than 40 days. If Drazan secures a gubernatorial victory, she will be the first Republican governor Oregon has had in more than 35 years.