Rasumussen Poll: Ted starts to pull away from Ron;but where's Westlund?

The latest Rasmussen poll on the Oregon Goobernor's race is out sans Westlund, Starrett,Keating and Morley:

Results of the latest Rasmussen Reports election survey of 500 likely voters show Democratic incumbent Governor Ted Kulongoski widening his lead in his bid for re-election. Kulongoski now leads Republican challenger Ron Saxton 45% to 35% (see crosstabs), an eight-point jump since the last poll.

The last survey was taken immediately after the primary race, which may have provided a bounce for Saxton at the time. Since then, however, his numbers have taken a downward turn. In the current survey, 43% of respondents report having a favorable opinion of Saxton, down from 48% in May. His unfavorable rating has taken an 11-point climb, jumping from 41% its current standing at 52%

In the meantime, Kulongoski is rebounding with Oregon’s voters. Fifty-six percent (56%) of those surveyed say they have a favorable opinion of the incumbent. That’s a four-point improvement from the earlier poll.

Opinion has also shifted on his job performance. Fifty-six percent (56%) of voters now approve of Kulongoski’s performance as their governor, up from his previous rating of 49%.

President Bush’s numbers remain low among Oregonians. Fifty percent (50%) of voters report strong disapproval of the president’s job performance, a three-point increase since the last poll. The percentage of those who strongly approve—22%—remains unchanged.

So Ted's on an upswing and Saxton is on a downward trend. I really wish they'd fold Westlund into the mix, too. I think he's an element missing that makes this polling somewhat inaccurate.

Although the other day I was talking to someone about Westlund's lack of name identification outside of the Bend region and how that might factor in to his success (or lack thereof). Can Westlund get enough statewide name ID over the next four months to make a real difference?

Oh well. Nobody but us wonkies are paying attention anyway.