Scott Bruun

The defeat of two-term incumbent Republican Gordon Smith by Democrat Jeff Merkley is probably the biggest shocker to all political gawkers around the state, however, there some other races that produced some unexpected results.  Here's a quick rundown.

1.  Kurt Schrader is held below 55%.  A win for fifth congressional Democrat Kurt Schrader was inevitable, but his margin of victory was not quite what many anticipated.  Schrader faced Republican Mike Erickson who had been accused of flipping his position on abortion when convenient, segregating a school dance back in his days as a student at Portland State University, falsifying endorsements for prior campaigns, ignoring pamphlet distribution rules at county fairs and wining and dining himself on a trip to Cuba which his still refers to as "humanitarian."  The fact that Schrader stayed below the big win viability line of 55% means there remains some hope of GOP solidarity in this district and he could face a more credible and challenging opponent in two years.

A spokesman for the Oregon House Republicans said that several bitter State House campaigns would make it difficult to work together in a non-partisan fashion when the legislature reconvenes in 2009.

“It’s going to be very difficult to have a bipartisan atmosphere next session,” House Republican spokesman Nick Smith said. “It’s going to be very difficult because of the way FuturePAC ran their campaigns.”

With the exception of the U.S Senate race, the talk in Oregon this election cycle has centered on just how big the Democrats will win.

The story is the same on the State House level. The Dem’s currently have a 31-29 advantage in the House, but on Tuesday they are hoping to pick up five seats, and the much coveted State House “super-majority” status.

Rep. Scott Bruun (R-West Linn) filed suit Friday against his campaign rival Michele Eberle (D-West Linn) and the Democratic political action committee FuturePAC for what he says are false mailers directed at him, according to a release from the campaign.

Rep. Vicki Berger said today she will not be seeking the CD 5 seat.

"I thought long and hard about it. I don't think this is right for me at this time," Berger told the Oregonian.  read more »

Although he has been spoken of as a possible candidate for the Republican race for CD 5, Rep. Scott Bruun will not be seeking the nomination.

“It’s a great opportunity, and it was a tough decision,” Bruun said.  read more »

The rumor mill is continually churning out names of potential Republican candidates for Secretary of State, and in an effort to inject some clarity, we’ve been trying to separate the rumors from legitimate possibilities. Despite some rumblings on the campaign trail, according to State Rep. Scott Bruun (R-Dist. 37), he has no intention of throwing his hat in the ring.

“I did give the treasurer's race some long and hard consideration,” Bruun wrote in an email Thursday. “My issue is that the time needed for a Republican to run a successful state wide campaign in blue Oregon isn't conducive to paying the mortgage.”

Bruun also said that he had not received any direct encouragement by state Republicans to run.