Here Are The Results of SurveyUSA Election Poll #14578

Geography Surveyed: Oregon
Data Collected: 10/11/2008 - 10/12/2008
Release Date: 10/13/2008 10:40 AM ET
Sponsor: KATU-TV Portland

Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkley Benefits Slightly From Obama Coattail, Inches Further Ahead of Incumbent GOP Smith: In an election for United States Senator from Oregon today, 10/13/08, Democratic challenger Jeff Merkley edges Republican incumbent Gordon Smith, increasing the possibility that the GOP will lose the seat, according to a SurveyUSA poll conducted for KATU-TV in Portland. Merkley leads today 46% to 41%. Compared to a SurveyUSA poll 3 weeks ago, Smith is down 1, Merkley is up 2. Constitution Party candidate Dave Brownlow is down 1 point, at 7%. During the same period when Merkley was gaining 3 points, Democrat Barack Obama, at the top of the ticket, was gaining 6 points in Oregon, increasing his lead from 11 to 17 points. Smith and Merkley are effectively tied among men. Merkley's lead comes almost entirely from women, where he leads by 10. Smith is harmed by Brownlow, who gets 9% of the vote among Conservatives, 9% among Pro-Life voters, and 9% in Eastern Oregon. Support for 3rd-party candidates often shrinks as the election nears. Another 6% of likely voters in the Oregon Senate contest are undecided, making any outcome possible. Filtering: 725 state of Oregon adults were interviewed by SurveyUSA 10/11/08 and 10/12/08. Of them, 658 were registered to vote. Of them, 584 were identified by SurveyUSA as likely to cast ballots before the state's deadline.