2008Flipped from RepublicanFinal results
2008 election for U.S. Senate in Oregon
U.S. Senate · Oregon
Jeff Merkley (D) won with 48.9% of the vote, defeating Gordon Smith (R) by 3.4 points, a seat Republicans won last time.
Jeff MerkleyDemocrat · winner
48.9%864,392
Gordon SmithRepublican
45.6%805,159
David BrownlowConstitution
5.2%92,565
1,767,504 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 2008
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Jeff MerkleyGordon Smith
$6.5M
Raised by the campaign
$9.3M
$6.5M
Spent by the campaign
$11.4M
$11.2K
Cash on hand
$75.7K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2008.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2008