05/31/2008

By JULIA SILVERMAN  / Associated Press

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden threw his support Saturday to fellow Democrat Jeff Merkley, who is hoping to unseat Wyden's longtime colleague and friend, Republican Sen. Gordon Smith.

Wyden, one of the state's most popular politicians, called Merkley an "agent of change," whose election he said would help Democrats get to a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority in the Senate, allowing them to pass progressive legislation on universal health care and climate change. Right now, Democrats hold a slim, 51-49 majority in the chamber, and Republicans have been able to successfully kill much of their agenda.

In 2002, the last time Smith ran for re-election, Wyden, stayed firmly in the background. He made a couple of late campaign appearances on behalf of Smith's opponent, Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury, and raised some money on Bradbury's behalf, but that's about it.

On Saturday, though, he signaled that things would be different in 2008; aides have said Wyden will make regular appearances with Merkley on the campaign trail, and will help with fundraising efforts.

To be sure, Wyden still won't be out on the trail bashing Smith, with whom he has developed a collegial working relationship that Smith has used repeatedly to booster his bipartisan credentials.

"I will not be critical of his service as a Senator, or anyone else's," Wyden said Saturday.

That attitude frustrates some Democrats, who say the Smith-Wyden connection undermines their attempts to paint Smith as too conservative for Oregon.

Still, Wyden said, he wants it known that, "It is important I support the person who supports my progressive values, and that person is Jeff Merkley."

Merkley has no such qualms — he will take plenty of swipes at Smith over the next five months, calling him a Bush clone at every juncture. Appearing with Wyden Saturday at a rally at state Democratic headquarters, he said Smith claims to be a moderate, but has spent most of his 12 years in office fighting for "a conservative agenda."

Wyden's outspoken support is a boost of confidence for the Merkley campaign, and could help Merkley win over the 42 percent of Democratic primary voters who opted for his opponent, Portland lawyer and activist Steve Novick.

Wyden and Smith clashed in 1996, when the two ran against each other for a Senate seat, in a race eventually won by Wyden. But since Smith's later election, the two have had lunch weekly, and worked to get federal money to Oregon for light rail, and on wilderness area designations.

Wyden's aides have said he is unwilling to jeopardize his "productive" working relationship with Smith by bashing him on the campaign trail.