Smith 49%

Merkley 37%

Brownlow 8% Constitution

3 Months to Election, Incumbent Smith 12 Atop Merkley in Bid to Hold US Senate Seat for GOP: In an election for United States Senator in Oregon today, 08/05/08, incumbent Republican Gordon Smith retains his seat, fighting off Democrat Jeff Merkley, the Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives, 49% to 37%, according to this KATU-TV news poll conducted by SurveyUSA. Constitution Party candidate Dave Brownlow takes 8% of the vote. Smith, considered by some to be vulnerable among the Republicans who must defend US Senate seats in 2008, leads today among both men and women, leads among the rich and poor, leads among the more educated and less uneducated, and leads in both the Portland area and the rest of the state. 9% of Republicans cross-over and vote Democrat. 3 times as many Demorats, 28%, cross-over and vote Republican. Independents split. Smith, first elected in 1996, is seeking his third term in the U.S. Senate. Merkley was first elected to the state House in 1998