Research 2000 has just finished a poll from Oregon that shows John Kerry once again at the magical 50% number in the Beaver state, an indication that the race for the state's 7 electoral votes has settled into a nice lead for the Democrat. The likely voter poll shows little movement from last week as Kerry now leads by a 50-44 margin (it was 51-44 before), with a MoE of +/- 4.0%.

Also striking is the fact that Kerry's ratings in the state are significantly higher than those of the President. The Senator is viewed favorably by 50% of the state to 38% unfavorable, while the President's numbers are 44% positive and 49% negative.

The results of this poll are very similar to other recent polling in the state. Here is a brief rundown:

• Research 2000 (9/20-23; 600 respondents): Kerry 50, Bush 44
  
• Rasmussen (9/8-21; 500 respondents): Kerry 51, Bush 43
  
• SurveyUSA* (9/19-21; 747 respondents): 52-43
  
• Zogby (9/13-17; 787 respondents): Kerry 53.9, Bush 41.9
  
• Research 2000 (9/13-16; 600 respondents): Kerry 51, Bush 44
  

* - Reweighted to reflect the real Oregon electorate.

The truth that becomes very apparent when looking at these polls is that John Kerry is over 50% in Oregon, and that's all that really matters. You might look to see progressive 527 organizations moving out of the state soon--like they did Michigan--to redeploy staff and reallocate funds to closer swing states. As I argued many times in my "Oregon: No Longer a Battleground State" series, while the Beaver state was close in 2000, it should be an easy win for Kerry in November and he'd be better served by paying attention to Ohio and Wisconsin (among other states) than Oregon.