While at times the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate has been virulent, by and large Steve Novick, Rep. Jeff Merkley and Candy Neville made nice tonight at the televised debate in Portland.

As opposed to the pervasive tone of the past month, agreement seemed to dominate the stage, when the candidates concurred on a range of issues from nuclear power (bad) to the war in Iraq (bad) to universal health care (good) to incumbent Senator Gordon Smith (very bad.)

"One of the things I noticed that Gordon Smith and I had in common is that neither of us had done anything progressive in the Senate over the last seven years," said Candy Neville.

Generally all three exemplified the traits by which they have come to be known; Novick’s comments were sprinkled with humor and statements about standing up for the little guy, Neville highlighted her views on the war, and Merkley pushed his stump line of hope and change, while also demonstrating his command of international security issues, gleaned from working for the Secretary of Defense and Congressional Budget Office.

“We need the new politics of hope and change,” Merkley said, emphasizing his role in the Legislature’s “most progressive and productive session.”

One of the most obvious fumbles of the night was a team effort; all three candidates seemed a bit befuddled when asked about their views on the Warm Springs casino.

What ultimately emerged was one of the more salient issue differences of the debate: while none of them had a firm position, Novick said he would lean against the off-reservation casino, Neville said she would most likely support it, and Merkley hasn’t made a firm decision.