Yesterday, former Gov. John Kitzhaber joined Senate candidate Steve Novick in lambasting the negativity of ‘politics as usual’ in a spot released by the Novick’s campaign. Now another, more unexpected, pol is chiming in: fellow Senate candidate Candy Neville.

Neville issued a statement urging Jeff Merkley to pull his “Believe” ad from the air, saying his negative campaign is “disappointing, misleading and misrepresentative” in its depiction of Novick.

“This sort of ad is right out of the Republican playbook -- it’s a divisive, regrettable and unnecessary distraction from the very real and important issues that Jeff should be talking about,” she said.

Matt Canter maintains that Merkley is talking about the issues, every single day. Every single day, it seems, but not necessarily on television, although his first few ads did feature his wife Mary, a nurse, talking about health care and Merkley discussing protecting American jobs and ending bailouts for the oil companies.

Today Merkley released another spot which brings the campaign’s focus back to Sen. Gordon Smith, but put a much cuter face on the message of change.

The ad expounds on the campaign’s talking point that Smith is afraid of Merkley. Brynne, the candidate’s young daughter proclaims, “I'm just a kid but even I can see that Gordon Smith's afraid of you, dad.” That, according to Canter, is why the Smith meddled in the Democratic primary, “teaming up” with Novick. Perhaps Neville is also afraid of Merkley.

Canter kept hammering on the talking point that Merkley works to bring Democrats together, but Neville pointed out what she sees as the irony of that statement.

“Jeff’s right on that count—that is the change that Democrats need. He should prove it by immediately pulling these attack ads.”