Surprise! Reliably blue Oregon may elect a Republican governor, says veteran pollster

"The most surprising event" of the 2022 election cycle is the Oregon governor's race, says pollster Scott Rasmussen. 

According to polls, a Republican has a strong chance of winning the 2022 race for governor in the state, long a secure Democratic bastion.

"I never would have expected to be saying we might have a Republican governor in Oregon," Rasmussen said Friday on the "Just the News, No Noise" TV show.

The reason the Oregon governor's race is so close is because it is a three way race, he explained.

"You've got a wealthy, independent, former Democrat," Rasmussen noted. "You've got a really unpopular Democratic governor who's leaving. You've got all the craziness in Portland. So right now, there's a chance that a Republican could sneak into the governor's office. That will be wild."

Christine Drazan, the Republican nominee, is running against Democratic candidate Tina Kotek and former Democrat-turned-independent Betsy Johnson. 

Many Democratic candidates are seeking to distance themselves from President Biden, widely seen as a political liability due to his anemic approval ratings, according to Rasmussen. 

"The President's numbers overall are toxic," the veteran pollster said. "Democrats don't want to campaign with him. And I suspect after the election, he'll have some trouble getting calls returned."