Will Oregon be in play for the presidential election?

by NW Spotlight

KGW interviewed Oregon Republican Party Chairman Allen Alley this week after President Obama stopped by Portland on his West Coast ATM tour – with Obama hitting up cities like Portland for $500-$30,000 a plate while cancelling his grass roots rally. I want your cash, but I’d really rather not actually meet with the riff raff…

Allen Alley told KGW he believes Oregon and its seven electoral votes could send Mitt Romney to the White House in November. Obama’s 2008 lead in Oregon has dwindled – KGW quoted Allen Alley “While Obama carried with Oregon with a 16 percent margin in 2008, Alley said some polls show the margin has dwindled to single digits.”

Alley’s assessment is right in line with an analysis in the Huffington Post earlier this month done by Derrick Kitts, a Republican former state representative from Hillsboro and former House Majority Whip. Kitts wrote “Oregon is the sleeper state up for grabs in 2012. The president’s numbers are below 50% in a state he won by 17% in 2008. For these reasons, Oregon will prove to be the decider of the 2012 presidential election.” Kitts now works for MSNBC.