Democrat Brad Avakian is benefiting from a surge of late contributions in his close battle for Oregon Secretary of State against Republican Dennis Richardson.
Unions and other Democratic-leaning groups are coming to the aid of Avakian as he attempts to continue his party’s long winning streak in statewide elections.
The latest public disclosure records show Avakian has received nearly $1 million in contributions since Oct. 1. Richardson has raised about $430,000 in that period.
The most recent poll shows Richardson with a five-point lead but with a large number of voters still undecided.
Democrats have not lost a statewide race in Oregon since 2002.
Avakian is the state’s labor commissioner. Richardson is a former state representative who ran for governor in 2014.
Copyright 2016 Oregon Public Broadcasting
