Merkley said Smith’s pre-primary ads are telling of whom he wants to be the Democratic nominee.
“Gordon Smith’s involvement is unprecedented in Oregon — trying to knock out the Democratic candidate who will be most formidable against him in November,” Merkley said. “Obviously, it shows how terrified Smith is of facing me.”
Novick has less money than Merkley and has a more liberal record — two things that figure to work against him in a general election and make experts and some Democrats skeptical.
The former Justice Department lawyer, who has gained some national attention for his quixotic campaign, has polled worse than Merkley against Smith. But a Rasmussen poll from last week showed his deficit is only slightly bigger than Merkley’s: Merkley trailed by three, while Smith led Novick by six.
“In Oregon, there’s very much a maverick streak that Steve speaks to,” said West Coast Democratic consultant Jim Ross, who has worked to unseat Smith in the past and built an anti-Smith website for the DSCC this cycle. “There’s a history of people voting for candidates who they might disagree with but they find compelling personally.”
Novick said the assumption about his general election prospects is unwarranted, especially given that Merkley needed to be “propped up” by the DSCC ads.
Should he win the primary, though, Novick said he would join forces with the DSCC.
“Of course,” Novick said. “They had a very good track record last cycle, and they made this one little mistake in this primary. That’s understandable, and I’m sure that they’ll be highly effective allies against Gordon Smith.”
If 2006 is any example, Democrats should be able to pick up the pieces and run competitively no matter who is the nominee.
Last cycle the DSCC supported Montana Democrat Jon Tester after he defeated committee-recruited candidate John Morrison in the primary. Tester later beat Sen. Conrad Burns (R).
In another race in Virginia, the DSCC actually endorsed Democrat Jim Webb in the final week of his primary. Webb won the tough campaign and later beat Sen. George Allen (R).
Committee spokesman Matthew Miller said it is prepared to back Novick should he win the primary.
“We believe that no matter who the nominee is, Gordon Smith is vulnerable and this is a race that Democrats can win,” Miller said. “And we will support the nominee in every way we can.”
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