A new poll shows businessman and former NBA player Chris Dudley leading Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek in a hypothetical general election contest.

The primaries for Oregon’s 2026 gubernatorial election take place on May 19.

Dudley will have to win a competitive GOP primary to reach the general election.

The poll, conducted by Hoffman Research Group, had Dudley leading the Democratic governor by 4 points.

More from Statesman Journal:

Two April polls focused on the Republican primary, one of which was also by Hoffman Research Group, showed Dudley trailing behind Sen. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, and in close proximity with Rep. Ed Diehl, R-Scio.

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The new poll instead focuses on the November general election. Pollsters asked respondents how they would vote if the general election was that day and Kotek was facing either Dudley or Drazan as the Republican nominee.

In those matchups, Dudley prevailed over Kotek with 48% of support to her 44%. In a rematch between Kotek and Drazan, the pair were tied at 45% each.

Kotek’s campaign manager, Marissa Sandgren, said that “Oregonians will have a clear choice in November.”

“This is how I put Oregon back on track on Day One as Governor. Right now, too many Oregon families are struggling to keep up with rising costs while businesses face more pressure just to survive. At the same time, the systems meant to serve our communities are delivering worse results with less accountability,” Dudley said.

“We cannot continue down the same path of higher taxes, weaker schools, growing homelessness, and failed leadership from Salem. That’s why I created a Day One Action Plan focused on immediate action — restoring accountability, improving public safety, strengthening education, supporting Oregon businesses, and getting our state moving in the right direction again,” he continued.

“Every Republican in this race is competing to hand Oregon over to Donald Trump’s chaos – cutting health care, gutting education funding, and rolling back abortion access,” Sandgren said in a statement, according to Statesman Journal.

“Governor Kotek is doing the opposite by fighting for Oregon’s values and standing up to Trump every step of the way,” Sandgren added.

OregonLive shared further:

The general election is still six months away and a lot could change before November as Kotek and her Republican opponent both make their case to voters about why they should be elected governor.

However, the poll showed dissatisfaction with Kotek that mirrors other polls. More than half – 53% – of those polled said they have an unfavorable opinion of Kotek compared to 33% who said they had a favorable opinion of her. The new results come after just a third of Portland metro area respondents said they had a positive opinion of Kotek, while 59% said they had a negative impression of her in a late April poll commissioned by The Oregonian/OregonLive.

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The new poll of 603 likely general election voters was conducted by Portland-based polling firm Hoffman Research Group from May 11 to 12. The results were weighted to reflect a likely Oregon general election electorate across key demographics, including age, gender, party registration, geography, congressional district and voting propensity, according to Mark Nashif, chief pollster for the Hoffman Research Group.

“The poll shows a challenging environment for Gov. Kotek: 58% of voters say Oregon is headed in the wrong direction, and 53% have an unfavorable impression of her,” Nashif wrote in an email. “Both leading Republicans are competitive against the incumbent, but Dudley is the only one tested who crosses into a lead, while the Drazan/Kotek matchup is tied at 45%–45%.”

 

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