PORTLAND, Ore. — State Sen. David Brock Smith won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Oregon on Friday, emerging from a crowded primary to set up a November challenge against three-term Democratic incumbent Jeff Merkley.
Smith, a state senator, captured the GOP nod from a field of seven candidates, according to results called by the Associated Press. In a statement issued Friday evening, he framed the campaign as a fight to put Oregon first.
“This campaign is about putting Oregon first,” Smith said. “Fighting for affordable living, safer communities, good-paying jobs, responsible government, and protecting the values that make our beloved state strong. This election is bigger than politics. It’s about restoring hope, opportunity, and accountability for every Oregonian.”
Merkley, first elected in 2008, is running for a fourth term in a seat widely rated as generally safe. Oregon last sent a Republican to the U.S. Senate in 2002, when Gordon Smith was re-elected.
Merkley’s campaign did not immediately respond Friday evening to a request for comment on Smith’s win.