Senator Jeff Merkley Senator Jeff Merkley is the democratic senator for the state of Oregon, elected as a State Representative in 1998, Democratic Leader in 2003, and Speaker for Oregon in 2007. Senator Merkley was born October 24, 1956 in Myrtle Creek, Oregon. He began his political career at the age of 19 as an intern for former Senator Mark O. Hatfield. In between his internship and his election, he worked with public service, including an exchange program in Ghana, as well as working with Habitat for Humanity. In 1998, Merkley was elected as a Democrat to the Oregon House of Representatives to represent his east Portland district (now District 47), succeeding Frank Shields. In its endorsement, The Oregonian predicted that Merkley was the most likely of several Democrats to "accomplish something positive in the Legislature." Following the 2003 session, he was elected Democratic leader, and after Democrats gained a majority in the Oregon House in the 2006 Oregon statewide elections, he was chosen (in a unanimous vote of the 31 incoming Democrats) to serve as Speaker of the House in the 74th Oregon Legislative Assembly. During Merkley's tenure as Speaker, the Oregon House passed several pieces of legislation: it created a state "rainy day fund" (a savings account to protect public schools against an unstable economy); increased funding in Oregon public schools by 14 percent and by 18 percent in state universities; banned junk food in schools; expanded the Oregon indoor smoking ban; revised the Oregon Bottle Bill; outlawed discrimination by sexual orientation and gender identity in housing and in the workplace; and gave same-sex couples state-granted rights, immunities, and benefits. On August 13, 2007, Merkley received the endorsements of Democratic Governor Ted Kulongoski and former Democratic Governor Barbara Roberts. He was endorsed in December 2007 by the Oregon AFL-CIO, the state's largest labor federation. The union's leaders cited Merkley's 97% record of voting in the interests of working families, and his electability in a general election against the incumbent senator Gordon Smith. Merkley was the first federal candidate to be cross-nominated by the Independent Party of Oregon. Merkley won the Democratic nomination to challenge Smith in 2008, narrowly defeating activist Steve Novick and four others in the Democratic primary. Given the difficulty of running against an incumbent senator, Merkley was initially thought to have only a moderate chance of unseating Smith. But in July 2008, a Rasmussen poll showed Merkley with a lead over Smith, albeit within the margin of error. By August, after strongly negative campaigning on both sides, Rasmussen reported that Merkley's support had deteriorated, with Smith taking a strong lead in the polls. Merkley's favorable rating was at 42%, while his unfavorable rating had risen to 45%. Senator Merkley is currently on 4 acting committees: The Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP), Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Environment and Public Works Committee, and the Budget Committee.
Senator Jeff Merkley is the democratic senator for the state of Oregon, elected as a State Representative in 1998, Democratic Leader in 2003, and Speaker for Oregon in 2007. Senator Merkley was born October 24, 1956 in Myrtle Creek, Oregon. He began his political career at the age of 19 as an intern for former Senator Mark O. Hatfield. In between his internship and his election, he worked with public service, including an exchange program in Ghana, as well as working with Habitat for Humanity. In 1998, Merkley was elected as a Democrat to the Oregon House of Representatives to represent his east Portland district (now District 47), succeeding Frank Shields. In its endorsement, The Oregonian predicted that Merkley was the most likely of several Democrats to "accomplish something positive in the Legislature." Following the 2003 session, he was elected Democratic leader, and after Democrats gained a majority in the Oregon House in the 2006 Oregon statewide elections, he was chosen (in a unanimous vote of the 31 incoming Democrats) to serve as Speaker of the House in the 74th Oregon Legislative Assembly.
During Merkley's tenure as Speaker, the Oregon House passed several pieces of legislation: it created a state "rainy day fund" (a savings account to protect public schools against an unstable economy); increased funding in Oregon public schools by 14 percent and by 18 percent in state universities; banned junk food in schools; expanded the Oregon indoor smoking ban; revised the Oregon Bottle Bill; outlawed discrimination by sexual orientation and gender identity in housing and in the workplace; and gave same-sex couples state-granted rights, immunities, and benefits. On August 13, 2007, Merkley received the endorsements of Democratic Governor Ted Kulongoski and former Democratic Governor Barbara Roberts. He was endorsed in December 2007 by the Oregon AFL-CIO, the state's largest labor federation. The union's leaders cited Merkley's 97% record of voting in the interests of working families, and his electability in a general election against the incumbent senator Gordon Smith. Merkley was the first federal candidate to be cross-nominated by the Independent Party of Oregon.
Merkley won the Democratic nomination to challenge Smith in 2008, narrowly defeating activist Steve Novick and four others in the Democratic primary. Given the difficulty of running against an incumbent senator, Merkley was initially thought to have only a moderate chance of unseating Smith. But in July 2008, a Rasmussen poll showed Merkley with a lead over Smith, albeit within the margin of error. By August, after strongly negative campaigning on both sides, Rasmussen reported that Merkley's support had deteriorated, with Smith taking a strong lead in the polls. Merkley's favorable rating was at 42%, while his unfavorable rating had risen to 45%. Senator Merkley is currently on 4 acting committees: The Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP), Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Environment and Public Works Committee, and the Budget Committee.
Works Cited
Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley. 20 September 2010. 21 September 2010 <http://merkley.senate.gov/about/biography/>.