Merkley will join Oregon's senior senator, Ron Wyden, giving Oregon a two-Democrat team for the first time in four decades. Democratic senatorial leaders, who threw millions of dollars into the effort to defeat Smith, were hoping to boost their ranks to 60, which would effectively give them unfettered sway over Congress.



...Merkley said he feels especially satisfied given how hard it is to unseat an incumbent in modern politics. It has been more than 40 years since an Oregon Democrat knocked out a sitting Republican senator, he said.



"It takes an enormous sense by citizens that things are way off track and that it's necessary to intervene to change the course," he said. He said he hopes to bring to the Senate the same skills he used as Oregon House speaker during the 2007 legislative session, which has been praised as one of the most productive in years.

Earlier today some of my colleagues were arguing over whether or not a progressive congressmember from Illinois was progressive enough to be termed "Wellstone-like." I was uncertain but Icertain that the Senate candidate Blue America backed this year who is the most like Paul Wellstone is the former Speaker of Oregon's House, Jeff Merkley. After slow counting in heavily Democratic Multnomah and Lane counties finally came in Jeff won the seat and ousted Bush rubber stamp incumbent Gordon Smith, one of the Senate's least honorable members-- and in this Senate that is saying a lot!We expect Jeff to be one of the Senate's most tenacious and effective fighters for working families-- just like he was in Oregon. This is the best news in the Senate races this year-- although Tom Udall (D-NM) is also an outstanding new member.Gordon Smith has finally conceded the defeat he earned. Let's hope we never hear from that hack again.

Labels: Gordon Smith, Jeff Merkley, Oregon