Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR), up for a tough re-election bid against Jeff Merkley (D), is running a new television ad aligning himself with Sen. Barack Obama.
Time reports Obama released a statement backing Merkley: "Barack Obama has a long record of bipartisan accomplishment and we appreciate that it is respected by his Democratic and Republican colleagues in the Senate. But in this race, Oregonians should know that Barack Obama supports Jeff Merkley for Senate. Merkley will help Obama bring about the fundamental change we need in Washington."