McCain campaign on new poll: ‘That’s about right’

The new poll numbers showing U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) in a statistical dead heat in Oregon are about where McCain expects to be in the Beaver State, according to campaign spokesman Rick Gorka.

“That’s about right,” Gorka said of the Survey USA poll which showed that Obama has 48 percent of Oregonians backing him to McCain’s 45 percent. “Those numbers may be more of a shock to people in Oregon and the Obama campaign, but I’m happy. Oregon is a real competitive state.”

As to why McCain seems to be doing so much better than he is in neighboring Washington and California, Gorka said McCain expects to do well in those states too, adding that McCain’s record of bipartisanship and achievement in Congress especially appeals to Oregonians.

“McCain’s message is particularly potent,” Gorka said.“He has a strong record of bipartisanship and working across the aisle, while Obama is the most partisan member of Congress. When people see Sen. McCain, they see that he puts his country first, and that resonates with them.”

But Obama spokeswoman Sahar Wali said they always expected Oregon to be close.

“The state of Oregon has had a history of being closer than either California or Washington,” she said. “We have always anticipated working hard in Oregon all the way through November, which is why we have staff on the ground and offices open across the state.”

The SurveyUSA poll, which was released Thursday, consisted of 900 Oregonians polled between August 2 and August 4, and has a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.