U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Merkley (D-Portland) has released two new television ads in response to his opponent Gordon Smith's previously released  ads, which made the claim that Merkley did not support extending the statute of limitations for rapists.

"Gordon Smith, knock off the sleazy campaign," law enforcement officer Kristi Gustafson says in the ad. "Jeff Merkley has been endorsed by the Oregon State Police Officers' Association.  He supported mandatory life imprisonment and doubling the statute of limitations for sex crimes."

Merkley's campaign was enraged by the Smith campaign when it implied in two previous advertisements that Merkley was soft on crime because he did not support a bill that increased the statute of limitations on sex offenders.

"Jeff Merkley, you should have voted to protect victims, not rapists," rape victim Tiffany Edens says in the ad released by the Smith campaign Friday.

But the Merkley campaign said that was dishonest and disingenuous.

"This is totally misleading," Merkley spokesman Matt Canter said. "Jeff Merkley supports policies to protect future victims."

The Merkley campaign explained the vote as a stand Merkley took in the Oregon House as a procedural protest. He knew the vote would pass anyway, so he had no problem with casting a vote that would symbolically oppose the process. But Smith spokeswoman Lindsay Gilbride said that putting criminals behind bars should not take a back seat to legislative bickering.

"Oregonians don't want a senator who lets petty partisan battles stand in the way of protecting victims of rape," Gilbride said. "Time and time again, Jeff Merkley has sided with criminals and against victims, and his own party."

The Merkley campaign has assembled former Gov. Barbara Roberts and other local leaders to further address Smith's attack ad in a press conference scheduled for Monday afternoon.