PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith and Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe are among a group of senators being targeted by groups hoping to derail President Bush’s Social Security plan.

Americans United to Protect Social Security, a coalition of labor unions, political organizations and other groups, wants the Republicans to oppose any plan in which Social Security taxes could be placed in private accounts.

Smith, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, has said he likes the idea of people owning their retirement accounts. He has also said he wants to see a detailed legislative proposal from the White House before he decides whether to support it.

Besides Smith, the group is focusing its drive on finance committee chairman Charles Grassley and committee members Snowe, Jon Kyl of Arizona and Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.

As part of that effort, Americans United released opinion poll results in the home states of the five Republican senators. All showed respondent majorities of 60 percent or higher against Bush’s proposal.

The Oregon poll of 600 registered voters was done on April 13. Fifty-three percent of those asked were strongly opposed and 16 percent were somewhat opposed to the Bush plan.

The Oregon poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percent.

Forty percent of respondents identified themselves as Republicans, 38 percent as Democrats and 22 percent as independents.

Forty-two percent were between the ages 18 and 49, age groups that would be given the option of private accounts under the Bush plan. Thirty-one percent were between 50 and 64. Twenty-seven percent were 65 and older.

Smith’s office has not seen much in the way of phone calls or correspondence on Social Security, his spokesman Chris Matthews said.

He said that the office has received more calls about Democrats’ use of filibusters.

Matthews said Smith is keeping an open mind on Social Security.

“He does not believe there should be a foreclosing of options.”

Kristofer Eisenla, a spokesman for Americans United, said the coalition plans to stage a rally near Senate office buildings Tuesday when the finance committee begins hearings on proposals to change Social Security.

A rally outside Smith’s Portland office also is scheduled for that day.

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