PORTLAND, Ore. -- Mayoral candidate Sho Dozono lost $161,171 in public funds after a state law judge overturned a city auditor’s decision Thursday.

Earlier this month, the auditor had certified Dozono to receive the money, but several rival candidates challenged the decision.

Their appeal centered around a December opinion poll commissioned by a local lobbyist advising Dozono. Critics said the poll broke the rules because it cost more than the $12,000 in-kind contribution limit.

The city auditor decided Dozono wasn’t officially a candidate at the time. But a ruling by state administrative law Judge David Gerstenfeld overturned that decision Thursday.

Gerstenfeld said Dozono received “in-kind contributions in excess of the applicable limit for candidates seeking certification to receive public campaign financing.”

He also said the city’s interpretation of a public funding law was contrary to the text of the code provisions.