Debate

MEDFORD -- During Monday's night debate, both Oregon Senate candidates were asked what they regretted most during the campaign, and U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Pendleton) acknowledged that one of the outside groups helping him went too far with one of its attack ad.

Smith recalled an ad created by the National Republican Senatorial Committee that showed his opponent, Jeff Merkley (D-Portland), being caught unaware of a foreign policy crisis in Georgia. Merkley was in the process of eating a hot dog when the exchange occurred, and the NRSC made use of the footage in several ads.

"I regret the tone of campaign," Smith said. "I regret all of the money flooding into Oregon. The Republican Senatorial Committee ran a commercial with Jeff Merkley eating a hot dog. Jeff Merkley is a good person. I think I am a good person too. I would not belittle someone like that. I'm sorry we ran that kind of ad."

Merkley acknowledged Smith's statement of regret and also acknowledged that the cameraman did catch him in a moment of weakness.

"Gordon, you really did get it nailed on that hot dog ad," Merkley said. "I really do love hot dogs."

MEDFORD - Oregon's U.S. Senate candidates battled for rural policy superiority in a debate Monday night in Medford.

U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Pendleton) had to start the night playing defense, after a poll released Monday afternoon showed that challenger Jeff Merkley (D-Portland) had increased his lead over the incumbent senator to 46 to 41 percent. Smith, who is Oregon's only federal official from east of the Cascades, argued that he had a better grip on rural policy than Merkley and he warned rural Oregonians that the state House Speaker would not be a voice for them in Washington, D.C.

The Oregon Senate debate was for the most part a display of two seasoned, well polished politicians. However, U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Pendleton) came up with the one noticeable gaff of the night.

"I met Sarah Palin once," Smith said. "She's a lovely person, she's a great governor of California."

Smith was answering a question asked by Jeff Mapes of the Oregonian regarding whether he thought Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, was prepared to be president of the United States. Republicans have pushed the idea that Palin, the governor of Alaska, has extensive governing experience after being her state's chief executive.

"Governor Schwarzenegger is going to be very surprised to find he's been succeeded by Governor Palin," Smith's challenger, Jeff Merkley (D-Portland), said.

PORTLAND - Oregon's Senate candidates focused on the economic crisis and argued over tax policies in their first general election debate Thursday night.

U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Pendleton) argued for his re-election, defending his support of the Bush administration's tax cuts, saying they were the kind of policies that were needed to get the economy going again.

With an economic downturn facing the country, Smith said that he was the kind of senator Oregon would need to send back to Washington, D.C.

"I believe in pro-growth tax cuts," Smith said. "Every Oregonian, because of how I have voted, is paying lower federal taxes today. Every Oregonian is paying higher state taxes because of way Jeff Merkley voted."

Smith went on to question whether Democratic candidate Jeff Merkley (D-Portland) was ready to help Oregon through the financial crisis, and he criticized the Oregon House Speaker for not supporting the Bush tax cuts.

For months Oregon's U.S Senate candidates have been battling each other with television advertising and press releases, but Thursday Gordon Smith and Jeff Merkley will engage each other in their first face-to-face debate of the race.

The race between the incumbent Republican and the challenging Democrat is a dead heat, according to the poll and political observers around the country are calling it one of the most competitive - and most negative - Senate contests of the year.

While the tone of this first debate is still anyone's guess, the two candidates have the chance to put the attacks aside and discuss the issues. At least, according to some of the most respected observers of Oregon politics, that's what they should do.

"They have to get beyond the negative ads," said Republican Jack Roberts, a former labor commissioner. "I've never seen so much voter anger at ads as I have with these two candidates."

SALEM -- Secretary of state candidates focused on creating a fair election process during their first debate hosted by the Salem City Club at Chemteka Community College Thursday night.

Candidates Rick Dancer (R-Springfield) and Kate Brown (D-Portland), as well as Pacific Green Party candidate Seth Woolley, stressed that the main job of Oregon's secretary of state was to ensure that the voices of every Oregonian were heard in a fair election process. Each candidate also stressed why they would be the best one to uphold that process.