Dem Wins Oregon Senate Race

Dems could pick up 8 seats; GOP could oust Landrieu in La.

(NEWSER) - With 35 Senate seats up for grabs Tuesday, Chris Cillizza, in the Washington Post, predicts Democrats will flip eight. Two more are close calls for the Dems, while the GOP has one hope for a pickup. Starting with the most likely:

1. Virginia is in the bag for Mark Warner; he might even get 60% of the vote.
2. New Mexico will fall easily to Tom Udall...
3. ...while his cousin, Mark Udall, has pulled away in Colorado.

Victory there gives party 57 seats, with 3 races still undecided

(NEWSER) - Democrat Jeff Merkley has won a tight race for the Senate in Oregon, keeping alive his party's hopes of attaining a filibuster-proof goal of 60 seats, the Portland Oregonian reports. Merkley defeated Republican incumbent Gordon Smith to give Democrats their 57th seat. Three other races are undecided and will remain so for awhile—Georgia's going to a runoff, Minnesota to a recount, and Alaska is counting absentee ballots. More»

Both might be stumping in key states

(NEWSER) - Despite the heated campaign debate about the US financial crisis—and John McCain's emergency "suspension" of his campaign until a deal on the rescue package was struck last week—both John McCain and Barack Obama may skip the vote on the bailout, reports Politico. Neither camp has committed to attend, citing campaign events, though both say they are inclined to support the package. Obama is in Colorado today, and McCain in Ohio. More»

Gordon Smith breaks new ground, but Dem is backing incumbent's Oregon foe

(NEWSER) - A blue-state Republican senator up for re-election this fall is showing a serious case of candidate envy in a new ad, Talking Points Memo notes. Oregonian Gordon Smith's spot goes as follows: “Who says Gordon Smith helped lead the fight for better gas mileage and a cleaner environment? Barack Obama! He joined with Gordon and broke through a 20-year deadlock.” More»

Does Barack Obama make white people feel safe?

(NEWSER) - As if Barack Obama did not face enough obstacles, the junior senator from Illinois with Oval Office aspirations is likened to a "magic negro" by David Ehrenstein. The "magic negro" is a cultural and cinematic racial stereotype exemplified by some of the characters played by Sidney Poitier, Scatman Crothers, Morgan Freeman, Don Cheadle and others. More»