Gordon Smith

According to a June 23 Survey USA poll of Oregon voters, Barack Obama has a 3 point lead over John McCain (48% to 45%) for President, down from many of the recent Oregon polls giving Obama a much greater lead and out of synch with Washington State polling.

Lost in the punditry about Barak Obama’s decision to opt-out of public funding for the general election is Thursday’s United States Supreme Court ruling eviscerating part of the McCain-Feingold federal election reforms, and giving the wealthiest another tool with which to dominate federal politics. In Davis v. FEC

We all love to read polls, right? Portland pollster Mike Riley has released a new poll (available at West of the Beltway.)

It shows Pavel Goberman, Roger Obrist, Steve Novick and Jeff Merkley in a statistical dead heat for the Democratic nomination in the Senate race against Gordon Smith (with 73% of Ds undecided).

U.S. SENATE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY RACE

Steve Novick.......12%
Jeff Merkley..........9%
Roger Obrist.........3%
Pavel Goberman....2%
Candy Neville........1%
Undecided............73%