Pindell Report: Oregon will see plenty of competitive races this fall

Oregon is a political junkie's dream this fall as it retains its status as a presidential swing state, hosts a competitive U.S. Senate race and has an open congressional race.

The Pindell Report, a new product from Politicker.com that launched today, ranks Oregon as the 13th most-competitive presidential swing state.

"Every indication suggests that while Barack Obama had a healthy lead early on this race is tightening and Oregon might be among just a handful in October that are really competitive," said Politicker.com Managing Editor James Pindell.

The report also ranked the state's U.S. Senate race where Republican Gordon Smith is up for re-election in the nation's fifth most-competitive Senate race, though it is currently categorized as "Leans Republican".

"Smith is the last Republican standing in a state where Democrats now occupy every other statewide office, majorities in the state legislature, and four out of five congressional seats," said Pindell. "Oregon, after all, hasn't voted for a Republican presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan, and has had a Democratic governor since 1986. All that said there is a reason why Smith is still standing today and the Democratic primary in this race allowed Smith to capture the center."

Also deemed competitive is Oregon's 5th Congressional District, a seat being vacated by Democrat Darlene Hooley. That race is currently ranked as the 41st most competitive in the country.

The Pindell Report aims to provide the country's most dynamic and richly reported ranking and analysis of U.S. Senate, U.S. House and gubernatorial races, plus presidential swing states.

The non-partisan report ranks races in order of their competitiveness. Therefore the No. 1 race in the country is the most likely to be decided by one vote. The race ranked last is believed to have a larger margin of victory -- no matter if it is a Republican win or Democratic win. In determining competitiveness the reports takes into account polling, fundraising, past election data, demographic changes and interviews with the nation's top political strategists. The report also heavily uses Politicker.com's reporters out in the field covering these elections for the network's state-based websites. The rankings are evaluated daily ensuring rankings are current.

COMPLETE DETAILS:

• Pindell Report: U.S. Senate
• Pindell Report: U.S. House
• Pindell Report: Governor
• Pindell Report: Presidential Swing States
• About the Pindell Report