Bidding wars start for a potential Merkley senate staff

Apparently, several Democratic political insiders are starting to feel a bit more comfortable about a potential win for challenger Jeff Merkley in his bid to unseat incumbent Republican Gordon Smith.  One campaign staffer recently remarked on his disgust on how several of his colleagues on the campaign and a few close financial supporters are starting to lobby for government staff positions that have yet to exist. 

No one in Democratic circles expected the race to garner the vast amounts of national attention achieved in recent weeks with daily television ads coming from groups like the DSCC and Majority Action.  Help from these organizations boosted Merkley's campaign while he needed time to catch up on fundraising debts from his May primary battle against Steve Novick.  A Merkley victory would open up many new job opportunities for liberal government staffer wannabes they haven't seen in years.  Smith has held his seat for 12 years and Dem Senator Ron Wyden has a content staff that rarely has any turnover.  This equation has many bleeding-heart political operatives chomping at the bit for high-level positions before there is even cause for celebration.