The two faces of Gordon Smith

Posted by Carla Axtman on November 9, 2007

A few weeks ago Gordon Smith sent a mailer using his US Senate franking privileges to some Democratic households in the Portland area.

In the mailer, Smith boasts about his record of "Advancing legislation with Senator Hillary Clinton...".

I wonder if this is what Gordon Smith says to Republican voters when he travels to Eastern Oregon? Doesn't seem likely.

Today, Jeff Merkley is sending a letter to some of those Republican voters in Eastern Oregon along with a copy of Smith's taxpayer-funded mailer (highlighting what Smith says about Hillary Clinton). Here is an excerpt:

The enclosed brochure was mailed from Smith’s U.S. Senate office at taxpayer expense. In it he touts work he claims to have done with two prominent Democrats: our other Senator, Ron Wyden, and Senator Hillary Clinton. Smith likes to tell people in Portland that he works closely with Hillary Clinton. Does he talk about his work with prominent Democrats like Hillary Clinton when he’s in your town?

That isn’t the way I will run my campaign. I’ll stand by my principles, no matter what. I won’t pretend to be anyone other than who I am, no matter which part of the state I might be visiting. That’s what a Senator for all Oregonians owes to the people he represents.

I want to be your Senator. We might not always agree, but you’ll always know where I stand. I look forward to meeting you over the next year and sharing with you my vision for a better Oregon and America.

Whether they be Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, Conservative Party, non-affiliateds ...all Oregonians deserve a Senator who will tell them where he stands on issues. Whether he's standing in Bandon or Bend, Portland or Pendleton--Jeff Merkley is a consistent leader.

And he will be the US Senator for all of Oregon.