Gordon Smith's ad riles Democrats
A new ad from the Gordon Smith's re-election campaign for the U.S. Senate draws on an unlikely - and Democrats say, inaccurate - endorsers: Barack Obama. By Andrew SegalEUGENE, Ore. -- The war of words is heating up in the battle for Oregon's Senate seat. Republican incumbent Gordon Smith's latest ad just hit TV, but it's already gotten a strong reaction from Democratic challenger Jeff Merkley -- and even from the man at the center of the controversy, Barack Obama himself. To hear Gordon Smith tell it, his work in the Senate earns high praise from across the aisle. "Who says Gordon Smith helped lead the fight for better gas mileage and a cleaner environment?" a narrator intones in Smith's latest ad, entitled "Truth." After a dramatic pause comes the answer: Barack Obama. The only problem, Oregon Democrats said, is that Obama never said that. "Obama never said Smith helped lead the fight on anything," Merkley's campaign said in a statement. Merkley's campaign called Smith's ad "misleading" and said it contains false claims. Smith's press secretary, Lindsey Gilbride, disagreed. "The ad and the bipartisan legislation discussed speak for themselves," she said. Eugene resident Candy Neville ran against Merkley in the primary, but has since endorsed him. She agreed that Smith has distorted the facts. "It doesn't represent him at all," she said. "It's like trying to grab on the coattails of some upsweep that democrats are having. "He will say many things, apparently, that are misleading," she continued. "And it's not the year for that. It's the year to be really accurate and honest." Merkley's campaign also highlighted what Obama has really said about Smith. "Gordon Smith's problem is that he rarely breaks away from George Bush and the Republican agenda that i think has done this country great damage," Obama said in an interview with Willamette Week last month. Obama himself released a statement Tuesday that said "Oregonians should know Barack Obama supports Jeff Merkley for Senate." But Gilbride said she didn't understand all the controversy. "It's an unfortunate commentary about politics today," she said, "that an advertisement about working across party lines somehow sparks controversy and would be opposed by either party." |
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