May 21, 2008 - 9:17am
Partisan voters don't like beating up on their own
By Wally Edge
Category: LocalTags: Greg Macpherson, John Kroger, Steve Novick, Jeff Merkley, Kevin Mannix, Mike EricksonTop Story: Opinion
Partisan voters spoke definitively last night on the issue of negative campaigning: don't beat up on your own. Standing back from the primary election results we saw the campaigns with the harshest tone take considerable losses across the board.
Steve Novick's negative name-calling on his fellow Democratic colleagues caught up with him in the end of a very competive US Senate race against Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley. Attorney General candidate Greg Macpherson came out of the gates swinging three weeks ago attacking opponent John Kroger in three television ads, ultimately costing him the election by 11 points. Perennial candidate Kevin Mannix also lost decisively to Mike Erickson in the race to replace retiring US Rep. Darlene Hooley when Mannix unleashed grating allegations that Erickson paid for an abortion for his ex-girlfriend and while he now declares a pro-life mantra.
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Mark Welczko, a losing primary challenger to U.S. Rep. David Wu earlier this year, has declared his intention to join the race for Labor Commissioner against incumbent Brad Avakian. >
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Check back tomorrow morning to view my sketchpad for day three of the Democratic National Convention, and go to my national blog to follow >
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Negative goes bad
Such a lie. Merkley went baldly negative on Novick from the get-go! Novick NEVER went negative on Merkley.
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