Oregon Public Broadcasting

If you’ve turned on your TV lately, you can’t miss a slew of political ads.  If you live in Oregon, the airwaves are saturated with an especially nasty slugfest.

Democrat Jeff Merkley is trying to unseat Republican Gordon Smith in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the nation.  Salem correspondent Chris Lehman has more.

Jeff Merkley speaks at a union rally in Halsey, Oregon.

In a normal election year, a two-term incumbent U.S. Senator should have little problem brushing aside a challenger with virtually zero statewide name recognition.  But this is not a normal year.

Polls show Republican Gordon Smith is running neck and neck race with Democrat Jeff Merkley.

The Oregon House speaker is trying to take advantage of a wave of new Democratic voters in Oregon this year.  But he’s also drumming up support with traditional left-leaning strongholds, like he did here, at a union rally in Halsey.

Jeff Merkley:  “We have an administration with George Bush and supported by Gordon Smith who have said we’re going to actually subsidize with our American tax dollars the construction and operation of foreign factories and that is just wrong and I’m going to fight to change that when I go to the U.S. Senate.”

Merkley has a pleasing message for this pro-labor crowd.  But Leon Harlson, the President of this United Steel Workers local, says it isn’t just Merkley’s policies that won him over.  It’s Smith’s campaign tactics.

Leon Harlson:  “We’re all supporting Merkley.  Just about everybody here is.”

Reporter:  “Why is that?”

Leon Harlson:  “Mostly because of them crappy ads that Gordon Smith’s putting on the TV.  Crimeny Sakes.”

Harlson wouldn’t say which ad bothered him the most.  But it’s nearly impossible to avoid ads from both campaigns if you turn on your TV in Oregon these days.  One shows Jeff Merkley eating a hot dog.  Another is all about Gordon Smith’s golf clubs.

Ad montage...

The ads are coming at a furious pace. There’s a new one almost every day.  Many are paid for by national political groups on both sides of the aisle.

That’s a sure sign that those groups see the seat as in play.  

Each campaign has accused the other of running misleading ads that bend the truth.  But both sides may be to blame, says Al Stavitsky, the director of the University of Oregon’s Journalism Center in Portland.

Al Stavitsky:  “When one candidate is coming at you with some very strong attack ads the other candidate finds it very difficult to take a high ground, so it’s really kind of devolved into a real slugging match here.”

One Smith ad even accused Merkley of being soft on rapists. Merkley’s campaign responded with an ad accusing Smith of using lies and innuendo.

Stavitsky says in a tight race, you can’t give too much credit to any one ad for making a difference.

Al Stavitsky:  “With that said, it seem to be conventional wisdom that a well-financed, slickly produced saturation campaign of attack ads, we have seen time and time again that it makes a difference.”

The Smith campaign did not return phone calls for this story.  But a campaign spokeswoman released a statement claiming that $6.7 million has been spent attacking Gordon Smith.  

Oregon voters will get the chance to hear more from the actual candidates soon.  Two televised debates are planned for October.