The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee released a new television ad Wednesday highlighting newspaper editorials that condemned U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Pendleton) for running campaign commercials attacking Oregon House Speaker and U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Merkley (D-Portland). Smith’s campaign has run ads knocking Merkley for his support of the State Capitol remodel that involved buying new furniture.

 “Gordon Smith can’t defend his record so he’s resorted to attack ads that distort the facts,” DSCC spokesman Matthew Miller said. “Gordon Smith has run the most negative campaign in the country, but millions of dollars in attack ads won’t prevent Oregonians from rejecting his election year makeover.”

The ad also points to what the DSCC says is Smith’s own fiscal irresponsibility in supporting legislation that the ad said led to $48 billion in Iraq reconstruction, $18 billion in tax breaks for big oil, and other policies which resulted in the country’s $9-trillion-dollar debt. But Smith spokeswoman Lindsay Gilbride said that by attacking Smith for supporting such legislation, the DSCC was simply attacking its own senators who also supported it.

"Now, Merkley's party bosses are criticizing Gordon Smith for voting with Ron Wyden and Barack Obama to support our troops and encourage energy independence," Gilbride said.

Merkley’s campaign spokesman Matt Canter said that Smith was simply upset because his ad highlighting the furniture purchase had not drawn attention away from his record.

“Gordon Smith has been in the pocket of big oil and big drug companies. It’s done this country great damage,” he said. “And now five newspapers from across the state have come out against his ad.”