Obama camp: ‘This state has always been close’

A spokeswoman for Barack Obama’s Oregon campaign said they have been bracing themselves for a close battle in the Beaver State all along. So when a poll released Wednesday showed that John McCain had trimmed Obama’s lead to four points, they weren't panicked.

“It’s not surprising for us,” Obama’s Oregon spokeswoman Sahar Wali said. “The whole reason we’re here is because this state has always been close.”

The poll, released by Rasmussen, showed that Obama was leading McCain 51 percent to 47 percent. A month ago, Obama was up by 10 percentage points. But McCain spokesman Rick Gorka said McCain gained ground among Oregonians because of McCain’s choice in running mate and the reform he said the pair would bring to Washington, D.C.

“Governor Palin is from that region, and brings a lot of local ties," Gorka said. "With Oregon and Alaska, there is a strong working relationship. And we will continue to show that John McCain and Sarah Palin have a record of experience and reform. They are proven leaders. Barack Obama and Joe Biden are all talk with no results.”

The poll was conducted via phone to 700 likely Oregon voters on Sept. 15. But as the stock market continues to slide, and voters become more worried about their economic security, Wali theorized that Oregonians would start looking toward Obama because he could provide them with a way out of the crisis.

“I do wonder, considering the economic situation, were this poll taken today, would we see these kinds of numbers?” Wali said. “Oregonians are not immune to what is going on nationally.”

The Rasmussen poll pointed to women voters in Oregon as the key to victory for Obama. Currently he leads among the female electorate, but by a small margin. His Oregon campaign branch began a push Wednesday to involve more female voters in a women voter outreach program, and had Gov. Kathleen Sebilius (D-Kan.) address the media via conference call Wednesday morning.

The Democratic Party of Oregon also released a statement from Democratic National Committee committeewoman Jenny Greenleaf warning women that McCain does not stand for issues that are important to female voters.

“John McCain has shown the same respect for women during his career as he has for the truth during this campaign,” Greenleaf said. “He is the U.S. Senate’s number one opponent to a woman’s right to choose, has publicly opposed the Fair Pay Act, and voted to gut the Family and Medical Leave Act. He has no record standing up for women’s rights.”