Oregon Poll Puts Christine Drazan Well Ahead in Republican Governor Primary

A recent statewide poll shows Senator Christine Drazan has a commanding lead over her opponents in the  Republican primary race for Oregon governor.

Republican Race For Oregon Governor Post

A poll by Salem-based Nelson Research indicates that, if the Republican primary were held today:

• Slightly more than 31% of respondents said they would vote for Drazan,
• 6% said they would back state Rep. Ed Diehl of Scio
• 8% said they would support former Trail Blazer, Chris Dudley
• Nearly 30% said they remained undecided, but, when pushed to choose a candidate, nearly 6% of those undecided voters said they would vote for Drazan if they had to choose today, while 3.3% said they’d pick Dudley and 2% said they’d back Diehl. 17.6% said they were still undecided.
• A smaller percentage of voters said they would vote for conservative influencer and January 6 rioter David Medina (6.1%) or Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell (1.6%).

The poll was conducted from April 14 to 17, and surveyed 515 likely Republican primary voters, using both phone and digital methods to ensure a representative sample. The margin of error is ±4.3 percentage points and can be found on OBP’s Tracker.

A recent survey of 1,065 likely Oregon voters from both parties, conducted from January 28 to February 4, shows Democratic Governor Tina Kotek leading her Republican challengers in head-to-head matchups.

Kotek outperformed Drazan (45-40%), Diehl (43-37%), and Dudley (45-35%). However, 54% of respondents reported having an unfavorable view of Kotek, and many believed Oregon was headed in the wrong direction.

Since the start of 2025, campaign finance records show that Drazan has raised nearly $2.35 million, Dudley has raised nearly $2.32 million, and Diehl has raised about $599,000. But there is still time for candidates to make their case to voters ahead of the May 19 primary.