Little has changed in the race to be Oregon’s next governor, with Republican Chris Dudley and Democrat John Kitzhaber still running neck-and-neck. 

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in the state finds Dudley earning 47% of the vote to Kitzhaber’s 44%.  Five percent (5%) prefer another candidate, and four percent (4%) are undecided.

Last month, Dudley, a former professional basketball player turned businessman, led Kitzhaber by a virtually identical 47% to 45%. After winning their respective party primaries in mid-May, Dudley earned 45% support to Kitzhaber's 44%. 

Dudley leads his Democratic challenger by double digits among male voters in the state.  However, Kitzhaber, who already served as governor for two terms from 1995 to 2003, holds a slight advantage among females.  Voters not affiliated with either major political party favor the Republican by 10 points in this matchup. 

 Just four percent (4%) of Oregon voters describe the economy as good, while 60% say it's poor. This is a higher level of pessimism than is found in most states nationally. Twenty-seven percent (27%) say the economy is getting better, but 47% say it's getting worse.
 
Seventy-nine percent (79%) of voters who think the economy is improving favor Kitzhaber. Seventy-three percent (73%) of those who say it is worsening support Dudley.

An overwhelming majority (77%) of Oregon voters say the United States is in a recession, higher than the national average. 

Thirty-eight percent (38%) say the $787-billion economic stimulus plan helped the economy, but 36% believe it hurt economically. This is higher confidence in the stimulus than is found nationally. 

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The survey of 750 Likely Voters in Oregon was conducted on July 26, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Fifty-nine percent (59%) of Oregon voters favor an Arizona-like immigration law in their state, comparable to findings nationwide.  Thirty percent (30%) oppose such legislation.

Seventy percent (70%) of those who favor an immigration law like Arizona’s support Dudley.  Eighty-six percent (86%) of the smaller group who oppose such a law favor Kitzhaber.

Thirty-three percent (33%) agree with the U.S. Justice Department’s decision to challenge Arizona's immigration law in court. Fifty-five percent (55%) disagree with that decision. This, too, is comparable to national findings.

Sixty percent (60%) favor a welcoming immigration policy that excludes only national security threats, criminals and those who come here to live off the U.S. welfare system.  Twenty-eight percent (28%) disagree with a policy that includes those restrictions.

Nineteen percent (19%) of Oregon voters share a Very Favorable impression of Dudley.  Thirteen percent (13%) view him Very Unfavorably.  

Kitzhaber is viewed Very Favorably by 24%, while 33% have a Very Unfavorable opinion of the ex-governor. 

At this point in a campaign, Rasmussen Reports considers the number of people with strong opinions more significant than the total favorable/unfavorable numbers.

Half (50%) of voters in the state believe offshore oil drilling should be allowed, lower than the level measured nationally.  Thirty-seven percent (37%) oppose offshore drilling.

Voters in Oregon are more evenly divided when it comes to deepwater drilling:  41% favor it, while 43% are opposed.

 Current Democratic Governor Ted Kulongoski is term-limited and cannot seek reelection.  Forty-three percent (43%) of Oregon voters approve of the job he is doing as governor, up five points form last month, while 53% disapprove.

Rasmussen Reports has released polls on the 2010 governor’s races in Alaska,  Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland,  Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

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