Willamette Week endorses Merkley, Bulletin endorses Smith

Newspapers across Oregon continue to be divided in their endorsements for Oregon’s Senate race.

On Tuesday, The Bulletin, located in Bend, urged voters to support U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Pendelton), saying the incumbent had served Oregon well as a moderate voice in congress.

“We haven’t always agreed with Smith,” the Bulletin’s editorial board wrote. “But he’s an experienced, well-intentioned and moderate advocate for his constituents. He deserves another six years in Washington. Jeff Merkley, meanwhile, deserves to stay just where he is.”

On Wednesday, the Portland-based Willamette Week announced its endorsement of U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Merkley (D-Portland), saying that Smith has, “not amounted to much as a Senator.”

“Smith has been accused of being a solid Republican vote until he comes up for re-election,” the paper’s editorial board wrote. “Then, he swerves to the middle to mollify voters who are finally paying attention. It’s a legitimate charge, and it’s easy to believe his eventual opposition to the Iraq war in 2006 after four years of support was an example of this.”

The state’s largest paper, the Oregonian, has yet to come out with an endorsement in the race.