Oregon Public Broadcasting

It's been a busy summer in the U.S. Senate. A key vote on oil and energy policy could come this week.

Last week, the Senate approved a new wiretapping bill, although Oregon Democrat Sen. Ron Wyden voted against it.

Sen. Gordon Smith, facing reelection, voted for the expansion of government surveillance powers. Democrats say they will harp on Smith's vote in the fall. But as Ethan Lindsey reports, they shouldn't count on Sen. Wyden to join in the chorus.

At a recent stop in Bend, Wyden spoke to a group of military advocates about building a new veterans center.

In fact, both Oregon Senators have been commended for their notable work on mental health -- like their support for soldiers who return home with post-traumatic stress disorder.

In Central Oregon, Senator Wyden shied away from answering any questions about Senator Smith or his reelection.

Ron Wyden: “Oh, I'm not here to talk about politics. I am here to talk about veterans issues.”

When asked about Senator Smith's recent television ads touting a bipartisan connection with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, Wyden again deferred.

Ron Wyden: “I'm just not going to get into politics. I'm a strong supporter of Jeff Merkley. I'm not going to run anybody down in this race, or anything else.”

That's Wyden's standard line. He and Smith both boast of their close working relationship. And Wyden has rarely, if ever, attacked Smith since the two ran against each other for an open Senate seat in 1996.

This election season, there was an early brouhaha online after a Wyden staff member told the Bend Bulletin that Wyden “won't campaign against Gordon, and he will continue to work with Sen. Smith on the state's behalf.”

Kari Chisholm is an Internet strategist for Democratic campaigns. He works for both Wyden and Smith's challenger, Jeff Merkley.

Kari Chisholm: “What you are not going to see is Senator Wyden barnstorming the state, slinging mud at Senator Smith. He is going to work behind the scenes.”

Chisholm says Democrats aren't seeing the whole picture.

For starters, Wyden is an established and fairly popular  politician, and some fear he would overshadow the sometimes-stilted state House Speaker.

Chisholm says in reality, Wyden is one of Merkley's strongest supporters, if you read between the lines.

In fact, just last week, longtime Wyden staffer Geoff Stuckart took a senior policy job with the Merkley campaign.

Geoff Stuckart: “Oregon voters are very savvy. They don't believe for an instant Sen. Obama supports Sen. Smith. And I don't think they believe, for an instant, Sen. Wyden supports Sen. Smith.”

Democrats say it was Wyden who helped draft Merkley when Democrats were having a tough time finding someone to run against Smith. 

And if you believe politics is all about money, Wyden's also funneled close to a million dollars to national Democrats in the past few years. And they've become one of the largest funders of Merkley's campaign thus far.

But some Democrats believe Smith is vulnerable this year, and say Wyden could help Merkley the most by blasting Smith and undermining his bipartisan campaign image.

If the past is any indication, that's not likely to happen.