Merkley Wins Senate Seat:

Jeff Merkley won the U.S. Senate race in Oregon against Republican Senator Gordon Smith, a 12-year incumbent. It was the sixth Senate seat won by Democrats in the November 4 elections. Merkley, the former Oregon House Speaker, had visited Lincoln Middle School on Thursday, October 16, and spoken to seventh grade classes about election issues. As a high-school student, Merkley spent a summer in Ghana and was also student body president. He has said that these early experiences inspired him, helping guide his career path into politics.