DSCC Up With Early Ad Buy In Oregon

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is up with its first paid ad this year accusing Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) of supporting special interests over working-class families.

"In Oregon, Gordon Smith talks about common ground, while working families are losing ground," a narrator says in the ad. "Gordon Smith says he's independent, but his record says different."

The DSCC ad is in response to an early ad blitz that Smith launched earlier this month. In one of the ads, Smith talks about how he's "shown a better way, thinking independently, working with Democrats and Republicans."

"I approve this ad because no matter who our next president is -- him or her -- I will find common ground for the change we need," Smith said.

Another one of Smith's recent ads attacks the two Democratic opponents vying to run against him in November, calling them "more of the same, when it's time for a change."

All this is occurring under a backdrop where Democratic hopes of picking up the blue-tinged state have somewhat dimmed. The candidate backed by the DSCC, state House Speaker Jeff Merkley, has been locked in a surprisingly close and negative primary battle with attorney Steve Novick, who has won acclaim for his quirky ads and unconventional biography.

Meanwhile, Smith has $5.1 million in his campaign account, giving him enough money to get on the airwaves well before the general election campaign begins in earnest.

The Democratic primary will be held on May 20.