GOP Senator Banks on Obama in Oregon Race

Sen. Gordon Smith (R), a two-term moderate, points at opponent Jeff Merkley (D) during a lighter moment in their second debate in Medford. Voters' enthusiasm for Obama has translated to a swell in Democratic voter registrations. Recently, amid concerns that Smith's embrace of Obama was working, the nominee has appeared in ads for Merkley. (By Jim Craven -- Medford Mail Tribune Via Associated Press)

The spots reflect the concerns of some Oregon Democrats that Smith's contortions are proving effective. If the telegenic heir to a frozen-food fortune succeeds in melding his message to Obama's through their common appeal for bipartisan cooperation, ticket-splitters could make up the gap in new registrations.

"It isn't about politics," Smith said, straight-faced, at a press conference last week. "It's about presenting what honestly exists."

Smith, looking the part of a country club Republican in a blue blazer and bright yellow sweater vest, addressed reporters from a lectern labeled "Democrats for Smith." Two of the 22 registered Democrats flanking him sported Obama pins.

"The problems that confront us, no party can solve on its own," the candidate said.

Smith's claim of partnership with Obama appears thin. The Republican added his name to the list of co-sponsors on a bill the Illinois Democrat wrote requiring more fuel-efficient cars. Critics point out that Smith cast earlier votes against the same requirement.

"His record is so out of sync with Oregon," Merkley said.

But Smith does have lunch weekly and appears frequently in town halls with Oregon's senior senator, Ron Wyden, the state's most popular politician and a Democrat. "It's a question of finding common ground, and Senator Smith, my friend, my partner, always meets me halfway," Wyden says in archival footage the Smith campaign has turned into another television ad.

A Portland television station reported receiving calls from viewers wondering whether Wyden had endorsed both candidates. But he made it clear he backs only Merkley.

"The obvious intent of the ad is to confuse voters," said Wyden's chief of staff, Josh Kardon, who publicly asked Smith to remove Wyden's image. Smith demurred.

It is far from the most controversial commercial in a race that, but for Smith's embrace of the rival party, would be remembered for its nastiness.

The most notorious spot showed Merkley sloppily eating a hot dog while answering a question from the Republican operative who was filming him about the Russian invasion of Georgia. The words "Need a moment?" appear on-screen.

The spot, made by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, aired so relentlessly that Smith eventually condemned it. His own ads paint Merkley as hard on seniors and soft on rapists.