Two new polls put Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek slightly ahead of Republican state Sen. Christine Drazan, but the race remains statistically tied less than a month before Election Day. A poll commissioned by The Oregonian/OregonLive found Kotek favored by 46% of likely voters and Drazan by 44%. A separate survey commissioned by Kotek’s campaign reported 46% support for the Democratic incumbent and 42% for Drazan. Both polls were released Thursday, Oct. 8. The Oregonian/OregonLive poll surveyed 549 likely voters from Sept. 24 to Oct. 1. Conducted by DHM Research, it has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points. Brett Smith, the Pacific Green Party nominee, received 3%, while 7% were undecided. The campaign’s poll, conducted by Washington, D.C.-based GBAO, surveyed 800 likely voters from Oct. 1 to 4 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 points. It gave Smith 6% support and found 6% undecided. Kotek’s campaign did not release the full results, limiting the ability to assess the poll’s findings beyond the figures it disclosed. Because each reported lead is smaller than its poll’s margin of error, neither survey establishes that Kotek is ahead. Still, they are the first publicly released polls in the race to show her leading. Three earlier surveys had shown Drazan ahead by narrowing margins of 4, 2 and 1 points. The campaigns offered sharply different interpretations. Kotek communications director Federico Araujo said voters were increasingly viewing Drazan as out of step with Oregon. Drazan consultant Trey Rosser said the contest remained deadlocked, noting that the Kotek campaign’s survey was the first to show the governor in front. The campaign’s internal poll also found that 92% of Democrats surveyed said they planned to vote, compared with 87% of Republicans, and put President Donald Trump’s approval rating in Oregon at 29%. A previous OPB poll found Trump with a 37% favorability rating among likely voters. The Kotek campaign has argued that opposition to Trump could help the governor; Drazan’s campaign has focused on dissatisfaction with Kotek’s record on housing, student achievement and the economy. The November election revisits the 2022 contest between Kotek and Drazan, when former Democratic state Sen. Betsy Johnson also ran as an unaffiliated candidate. Polling favored Drazan for much of that October before shifting toward Kotek near Election Day. Kotek ultimately won by 3.5 percentage points.