Oregon is a reliably Democrat state. It has a Democrat governor, two Democrat senators and four out of five Democrat congressmen. It voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016. With the "blue wave" coming, you would think that the projections for November would be a Democrat blow out, but that seems not to be the case if the polls can be believed. The latest poll in the governor's race shows a tie between the Democrat incumbent Kate Brown and the Republican challenger Knute Buehler. They are each at 45%. To put that in proper context, lets add that six months ago, the same matchup showed Democrat Brown ahead by 17% at 46 to 29.
Think about that. Six months pass and Brown gets essentially what she got in January. Buehler, however, moves up 16 points as he becomes better known. That's a very dangerous trajectory for the Democrats.
If there really is a close race in Oregon, it will take all the "experts" by surprise. The Cook political report rates Oregon a likely Democrat victory. Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball also rates Oregon a likely Democrat victory.
From a national perspective, it is not very important which party controls the governor's seat in Oregon. Nevertheless, this may be another harbinger that the much vaunted blue wave has evaporated.
Think about that. Six months pass and Brown gets essentially what she got in January. Buehler, however, moves up 16 points as he becomes better known. That's a very dangerous trajectory for the Democrats.
If there really is a close race in Oregon, it will take all the "experts" by surprise. The Cook political report rates Oregon a likely Democrat victory. Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball also rates Oregon a likely Democrat victory.
From a national perspective, it is not very important which party controls the governor's seat in Oregon. Nevertheless, this may be another harbinger that the much vaunted blue wave has evaporated.
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