Brown, Metsger tied in Secretary of State race

Poll: Democrats split on party nominee

By Nick Budnick

The Portland Tribune, May 14, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (7 Reader comments)

The Democratic free-for-all to be the next Oregon Secretary of State has coalesced into a dead heat between two frontrunners, according to a poll commissioned by the Portland Tribune and FOX 12 News.

Two state senators, Kate Brown of Southeast Portland and Rick Metsger of Welches, each enjoy the support of 25 percent of the voters, while a third senator, Vicki Walker of Eugene, trails with 14 percent, according to a poll conducted by the Portland polling firm Davis, Hibbitts & Midghall Inc.

The firm interviewed 400 likely Democratic voters across the state and found that 36 percent of them remain undecided. The poll has a margin of error of 4.8 percentage points, meaning the numbers could be off by that amount in either direction.

Charlotte Krayenbuhl, 53, an interior designer, was typical of the undecideds. She said she is scouring the voter's pamphlet for qualifications and endorsements.

“I'm kind of leaning toward Kate Brown after I read her information,” she said. “Hadn't really heard of Rick Metsger until yesterday.”

The Secretary of State serves as the chief elections office for the state, ensuring integrity at the ballots. The post also oversees audits of state agencies to root out inefficiency.

Brown is best known as a former Senate Majority Leader who stressed party unity, while Metsger is a former TV personality for whose willingness to vote with Republicans occasionally earned him the ire of his colleagues. Even more of a party maverick, Walker's main statewide publicity came in 2004 for sharing documents with the Willamette Week newspaper that led to exposure of former Gov. Neil Goldschmidt's statutory rape of a 14-year-old girl while serving as mayor of Portland.

According to the Secretary of State elections office, Brown has reported spending more than $445,000, Metsger about $261,000 and Walker just $100,000.

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