Merkley calls on Smith to renouce 'misleading' ad, big tobacco

State House Speaker Jeff Merkley and U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith have jumped right into campaign mode. Yesterday, it was a battle over who really works in a bipartisan manner for health care, today, the issue is an ad fielded by the Employee Freedom Action Committee. Merkley says the political action group-and its sponsor, tobacco company lobbyist Richard Berman-has launched a "misleading" ad campaign, attacking the speaker for championing an Employee Free Choice Act.

The ad states "Jeff Merkley won the Democratic primary Tuesday through a mailed private ballot by Oregon Citizens. Yet he supports eliminating the right to a private vote when unions are enlisting new members. Hard to believe?"

The anti-union group took out an ad in The Oregonian hitting Merkley for supporting federal legislation allowing the "card-check" approach of garnering employee approval for unionizing workplaces. Although the legislation passed the House, Republicans-including Smith-were able to marshal the requisite votes to prevent it from coming to a vote in the Senate. That blacade might be lifted, however, if the Democrats gain enough seats in the upcoming election.

Meanwhile, Merkley wants the Senator to renounce the ad, as well as the special interests behind it. "Gordon Smith should renounce this rogue and the special interests that are bankrolling this organization," said Speaker Merkley.

"Shadowy groups like this are planning to come into Oregon and mislead voters about important issues at stake in this election. Smith has fought hard to protect these interests and now they are protecting him." The Merkley camp did not miss the chance to tie the issue back to a main talking point: Smith's tie to special interests, and the substantial contributions he has secured from the tobacco industry.

According to R.C. Hammond, Smith's spokesman, Smith has already broken from the tobacco lobbyists: "Gordon Smith has done more than denounce big tobacco, he's beat big tobacco in 1993 to fund the Oregon Health Plan and pass SCHIP in 1997. Jeff Merkley got beaten by big tobacco when he chose partisanship instead of leadership and failed to pass a state children's health plan."