BREAKING: Republican Takes LEAD In Blue State - Hysterical Dems Just Melted Down

Gubernatorial candidate Chris Dudley has emerged as the leading Republican in a new hypothetical general-election poll against incumbent Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek. Dudley, who has never held elected office, enters the race with a background in professional sports and business, according to reports.

He spent 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association, including six years with the Portland Trail Blazers.

After retiring from basketball in 2003, Dudley moved into the private sector. He co-founded Filigree Wealth Advisors and later served as chairman and chief executive officer of Diabetomics.

He also established the Chris Dudley Foundation and previously served as treasurer of the National Basketball Players Association.

A new poll commissioned by Dudley’s campaign and conducted by the Hoffman Research Group surveyed 603 likely general-election voters between May 11 and May 12, with a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.

In a hypothetical head-to-head matchup, Dudley received 48% support compared with 44% for Kotek. A separate matchup showed Republican state Sen. Christine Drazan tied with Kotek at 45% each.

The poll also found that 53% of respondents viewed Kotek unfavorably, while 33% held a favorable opinion of her. Additionally, 58% of voters surveyed said Oregon is headed in the wrong direction.

Pollsters did not test a hypothetical race involving Republican state Rep. Ed Diehl.

The poll comes less than a week before the May 19 Republican primary, which will narrow the field ahead of the general election under Oregon’s vote-by-mail system.

According to the survey summary, both Dudley and Drazan were viewed as competitive against Kotek, though Dudley was the only Republican tested who held a lead in the hypothetical matchup.

Any Republican nominee is still expected to face a difficult statewide race. Oregon has not elected a Republican to statewide office since 1994, when Jack Roberts won election as labor commissioner.

The last Republican elected governor of Oregon was Victor Atiyeh, who won reelection in 1982.

Meanwhile, one state down, there been some major movement less than one month before the gubernatorial primary, and it has Democrats worried.

The California Secretary of State’s office has released the official report on the number of ballots returned so far in the June primary.

The data shows that Republicans are surging so far, stoking fear among Democrats ahead of the June 2 primaries in the deep blue state.

The report shows the Republican share of “early” voters in California has spiked and is running more than 9 percent above voter registration.

The report also shows that Democratic turnout is way down. Below is a breakdown of the numbers:

‍–Democrat Share of Early Ballot Returns

41% (down 7% from 2022)

–Republican Share of Early Ballot Returns

34% (up 8% from 2022)

–Independent Share of Early Ballot Returns

25% (up 2% from 2022)

Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, a San Diego Republican, cautioned against over-interpreting the numbers but said the trend is encouraging for conservatives.

“When you take a look at the numbers, both in comparison to the numbers four years ago and voter registration, Democrats are way down and Republicans are up in early voting,” DeMaio told The Post.

“It may mean that many Democrats are taking longer to decide on the governor’s race and who ultimately they want to lead,” DeMaio added.

Paul Mitchell with Political Data Inc. noted that it’s still early in the election period.

“The early days part is important because some of what we’re seeing is which counties are quicker at returning the data to us,” Mitchell said.

While that is true, older, conservative voters and landlords who are Republicans have voted more than any other party.

About 4.3% of people aged 65 and up went to the polls. People aged 50 to 64 made up 2%, people aged 35 to 49 made up 1.1%, and people aged 18 to 34 made up 0.7%.

“It’s kind of typical of a low-turnout election that these are the people that always vote in every election. They probably almost always vote early, and they’re getting their ballots in right away,” Mitchell said.

A well-deserved ending played out under the crystal chandeliers as a billionaire's security team turned their weapons on the arrogant host.

A wealthy woman slaps a "poor" girl in a jewelry store... Then the entire store knows who she really is.

Crystal lights glitter throughout the high-end jewelry store.

Diamond necklaces sparkle under the flawless glass display cases while wealthy customers sip champagne and admire gemstone bracelets.

Then suddenly—

a loud slap shattered the elegant silence.

A young woman in a pink sequined dress lunged forward and struck another girl hard in the face.

Diamond necklaces flew from trembling hands and crashed onto the marble floor.

Gasp of gas erupted throughout the store.

The girl in the simple beige tank top stumbled backward, stroking her burning cheeks as tears streamed down her face.

Meanwhile, the woman in the pink dress stood above her with cruel satisfaction.

“You can’t even afford the box!”

A mocking laugh immediately spread throughout the store.

Two wealthy friends in black dresses covered their mouths and giggled while the humiliated girl knelt on the polished marble floor, trying to pick up the necklace.

Tears fell onto the floor amidst the scattered diamonds.

“This jewelry store isn’t for the poor!” the mocked woman sneered.

Customers turned to watch.

No one stepped in.

No one defended her.

Then—

everything changed.

From behind the private VIP area, the jewelry store manager suddenly appeared.

The staff immediately fell silent.

The atmosphere froze.

The manager’s gaze fell on the necklace on the floor…

then on the girl kneeling beside it.