Oregon Public Broadcasting

Merkley Knocks Off Smith For U.S. Senate Seat

Oregon will have a new U.S. Senator come January.

And after 12 years in office, a two-term incumbent Republican Gordon Smith will find himself back the private sector.

Oregon Results

Washington Results

Local election stories from OPB News >

Video Your Vote

This election season, OPB is partnering with PBS, News Hour with Jim Lehrer and YouTube for the Video Your Vote project, a non-partisan initiative encouraging voters in all 50 states to document their voting experiences on video. Learn More.

Think Out Loud

The Morning After

So. What surprised you last night -- or confirmed your greatest fears, or hopes? What races, or bond measures, or levies, flew below the radar on an Obama-centric night?

Bill Lunch remarked last night that political fortunes are cyclical, and that soon enough the Republican party will return to power. Do you agree? How long will it take? Or do you think we're watching a more profound statewide political realignment?

And, most broadly, where does our state -- and our country -- go from here?

Election 2008 Topics on Think Out Loud

• Measure 65: Top Two Primary
• Measure 62: Lottery Funds
• Measure 60: Teacher Pay
• Measure 58: English As A Second Language
• Washington Initiative #1000: Assisted Suicide
• Political Ads
• Measures 56 and 59: Tax Policy

Candidate Conversations

Think Out Loud conversations with candidates for the most prominent offices on the November ballot.

State Treasurer - Allen Alley (R) and Ben Westlund (D)
Secretary of State - Kate Brown (D) and Rick Dancer (R)
U.S. Senate  - Jeff Merkeley (D) and Gordon Smith* (R)
5TH Congessional District  - Mike Erickson* (R) and Kurt Schrader (D)

* Note: These candidates have not responded to repeated requests.

Oregon Ballot Measures

• Measure 54: The Classroom Project That Made It To The Ballot
  
• Measure 55: A Minor Tweak To A Controversial Process
• Measure 56: Scaling Back The Double Majority Rule
• Measures 57 And 61: A Case Of Dueling Ballot Measures
• Measure 58: National Attention For ESL Measure
  
• Measure 60: Old Foes In A Rematch
• Measure 62: 'The Oregon: C.S.I. Measure'
• Measure 63: Limiting The Need For Building Permits
• Measure 64: Sizemore Vs Unions…Again

 Voter Resources

• Ballot Drop Sites
• Oregon Online Voters' Guide
• League of Women Voters of Oregon Voters' Guides
• PBS Online NewsHour — Vote 2008 
• NPR — Election 2008
• PRI's The World — Vote 2008

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