Upset Brief · OR-03 · Loran Ayles (R) vs. Maxine Dexter (D), incumbent
A long shot on the math: it takes a 39.5-point national wave.
0%
odds today
0%
odds with the plan
133,217
net votes to find
36
days left; voting starts October 14
Where
- 01+207Precinct 5008 (Multnomah County)Starting line Ayles +5. 6.9% split their ticket.
- 02+205Precinct 400 (Clackamas County)Starting line Ayles +26. 7.1% split their ticket. About 305 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
- 03+202Precinct 4905 (Multnomah County)Starting line Ayles +2. 5.6% split their ticket.
- 04+195Precinct 108 (Clackamas County)Starting line Ayles +22. 5.4% split their ticket. About 777 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
- 05+194Precinct 5006 (Multnomah County)Starting line Dexter +6. 6.7% split their ticket.
- 06+188Precinct 4908 (Multnomah County)Starting line Dexter +11. 6.3% split their ticket.
The top 12 precincts carry 25% of the plan.
How
- P+7,071Persuade7,071 voters who split their ticket in recent elections and lean Dexter today.
- M+188MobilizeAt least 2,538 people who voted in 2024 but not in 2022, in precincts where Ayles's side wins at least 55 percent.
- C+1,767ConsolidateVoters who went third party in recent races, in the precincts that lean Ayles's way.
Plus a national shift of 39.5 points of margin (124,191 votes) that no campaign controls.
What has to be true
- Ayles wins 50 percent of the ticket splitters now leaning Dexter.
- In Precinct 106 (Clackamas County) and Precinct 108 (Clackamas County), 35 percent of the people who voted in 2024 but skipped 2022 come back and vote.
- It would take a national shift of about 39.5 points toward Ayles's side, larger than any midterm swing in recent memory.
- No 2026 public poll exists for this race, so the starting line is a weighted blend of official recent results; the first real poll will move it.
The numbers behind it
- 01Crossover regression112 precincts, R² 0.998, 23 crossover precincts identified
- 02Monte Carlo20,000 seeded simulated elections with a 7-point baseline error. 90% range of the final margin with the plan: -160,953 to -87,695 votes.
- 03Money, FEC candidate totals through June 30Ayles no FEC totals reported; Dexter $173,687.
- 04Call program for this list14,992 households, 44,977 dials, about 2,357 live conversations: an estimated $6,318 at published rates.
Independent analysis by The Political Group from official Oregon Secretary of State precinct returns (2022 and 2024), FEC filings and published polls, as of September 27, 2026. Not affiliated with any candidate or party.