Poll shows Westlund up by 11

State Treasurer candidate Ben Westlund (D-Tumalo) has a double-digit lead over Allen Alley (R-Lake Oswego) in a new poll released Wednesday.

The poll, released by the Portland Tribune/Fox 12, shows Westlund with a solid lead 11-point lead in the race with just under a week before the election. The Tumalo state senator has 39 percent of voters backing him, while Alley has 28 percent. Constitution Party candidate Mike Marsh has 3 percent of voters backing him, and 29 percent of voters remain undecided in the race.

Westlund’s lead is down by a single-point since the last time the race was profiled in September, but that didn’t stop him from releasing an ad earlier this week accusing Alley, the former CEO of Piexelworks, of being an irresponsible businessman. In an e-mail to his supporters, Alley refuted the attacks and said that Westlund’s accusations were a sign of desperation.

“The panic demonstrated by my opponent is the greatest validation of our strength,” Alley said.

The poll was conducted by Davis, Hibbitts & Midghall Inc., and was a survey of 500 likely voters who were questioned between Oct. 23 and Oct. 25. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 4.4 percent.