Norm Coleman

Both the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee have been big spenders in Oregon this election cycle, according to campaign finance numbers released by the Federal Elections Commission Wednesday.

Democratic Senate candidate Jeff Merkley’s campaign issued an “urgent action alert” to its supporters on Sunday after it discovered that U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith’s campaign has made payments to the company responsible for robocalls in several swing states that attack Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

House Speaker and U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Merkley (D-Portland) called on Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Pendleton) to return the $39,000 in campaign donations that he has received during his political career from Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), who was charged with bribery on Tuesday.