New Poll Shows Alley Ahead of Dudley in Oregon GOP Race

Earlier this week, a Survey USA poll showed GOP gubernatorial hopeful Chris Dudley with a substantial lead over rival Allen Alley.

But a new poll done by Eugene-based Lindholm Research shows the race much closer heading into its final days. In a telephone survey of 400 likely Republican voters, 29 percent favored Alley, 26 percent favored Dudley and 29 percent were undecided. The remaining respondents favored candidates in the race — such as John Lim and Bill Sizemore — other than the two front-runners.

The poll's margin of error is five percentage points, Lindholm says, so the polling firm says the race is effectively a dead heat. If true, that would be news because the conventional wisdom is that Dudley, the former Portland Trail Blazer, is well ahead thanks to his fund-raising advantage.

We'll find out who's right on May 18, when elections officials count ballots. It's now too late to mail in your ballot with complete assurance it will make it to county elections offices in time for the 8 pm Tuesday deadline. But dropoff sites are still available to make sure your ballot is received by elections offices by 8 pm Tuesday will be counted.