SALEM - A campaign stop by John Kerry pumped a bit of vigor into an Oregon primary election that looked headed for a low voter participation with no hot statewide races on the ballot.

State elections officials said ballots had been received from just 28 percent of registered voters through the weekend, close to the pace of voting in the 2002 primary.

A total of 46 percent of voters cast ballots in that election.

There were peppy races for the Republican nominations to two Democrat-held congressional seats in the 1st and 5th House districts.

A low turnout would likely mean "the most conservative voters on the Republican side can have more influence, along with the more liberal voters on the Democratic side," said Bill Lunch, an Oregon State University political science professor.

Kerry's visit was his first campaign trip to Oregon, one of about dozen presidential toss-up states in recent polls. He appeared with former rival Howard Dean at a Monday night rally in Portland. He also had a planned appearance today.

A poll taken May 6-8 and May 10 for the Portland Tribune and KOIN TV showed Kerry favored by 50 percent of those surveyed to 46 percent for President Bush. Putting independent Ralph Nader into the mix dropped Kerry's support to 47 percent to 45 percent for Bush and 3 percent for Nader.

The telephone survey by Research 2000 of Rockville, Md., of 603 likely voters had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Democrat Al Gore won Oregon in a 6,700-vote squeaker in 2000.

A wild card in today's primary is Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich.

While acknowledging that Kerry's nomination "has basically been locked up," Kucinich spent four weeks before the election in Oregon to spread his anti-war message.

Kucinich was in single digits in the KOIN-Tribune poll, with Kerry downing him by 68 percent to 8 percent. Kucinich said he had set no goal for his share of the vote.

"I've been careful not to make predictions," Kucinich told The Associated Press in an interview. "I offered my candidacy as a way for Oregonians to express their concerns.

"We urgently need to take a new direction in Iraq and bring our troops home," he said.

His other themes include repealing the Patriot Act and installing universal, single-payer health coverage.

Kucinich said he chose Oregon for his extended stump campaign "because of its progressive tradition and its pioneering spirit. The reception's been good."

Meanwhile, Republicans squared off in lively contests for the nominations to two U.S. House seats.

Iranian immigrant and Portland-area businesswoman Goli Ameri and Portland securities broker Tim Phillips have run high-visibility campaigns for the GOP nod to take on three-term Democratic Rep. David Wu in the 1st District.

Software company executive Jason Meshell is the third GOP candidate in the district that stretches from Portland's west side to the coast.

In the 5th District, state Sen. Jackie Winters of Salem and Lake Oswego lawyer Jim Zupancic are vying for the Republican nomination to a seat held by four-term Rep. Darlene Hooley.

Hooley faces little-known media consultant Andrew Kaza of Manzanita on the Democratic ballot.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden is unopposed in the primary, while six relatively little-known contenders are on the GOP ballot for that post.

In the only primary contest for a partisan statewide state office, Republican secretary of state contenders Betsy Close and Fred Granum both spent a low-key Monday as the voting deadline approached.

Close, a state representative from Albany, hasn't raised much money but has been getting help with campaign mailings from groups such as Oregon Right to Life and the Taxpayer Association of Oregon.

Granum, a Portland businessman, was phoning supporters who helped him raise $100,000 for his campaign.

"When I started this, I was absolutely unknown," said Granum. He predicted he will have strong name recognition if he wins the primary.

Secretary of State Bill Bradbury faced token Democratic opposition from perennial candidate Paul Damian Wells.

Three appellate judges face opponents for nonpartisan judicial posts.

The races include a challenge to openly gay Supreme Court Justice Rives Kistler by Lake Oswego lawyer James Leuenberger. Oregon Christian Coalition mailings raised the issue of Kistler's sexual orientation.

Supreme Court Justice William Riggs faces Umatilla County Circuit Judge Rudy Murgo, and Court of Appeals Judge Robert Wollheim is opposed by Bend lawyer Phil Brockett.