Jeff Merkley Wins Fourth U.S. Senate Term as David Brock Smith Concedes

Oregon — Democratic U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley won a fourth term, leading Republican state Sen. David Brock Smith by nearly 18 percentage points in unofficial statewide returns. Brock Smith conceded on election night, congratulating Merkley and saying he would continue serving in the Oregon Senate.

Merkley, who appeared on the ballot as the Democratic and Working Families nominee, received 994,222 votes, or 57.37%. Brock Smith received 684,962 votes, or 39.53%. The unofficial tally included 1,732,930 votes in the Senate race.

In a Nov. 3 statement, Merkley thanked Oregon voters and said opposition to President Donald Trump helped drive his decision to seek another term. He characterized the election results as a rebuke of Trump, accusing the president of favoring wealthy Americans and disregarding the constitutional separation of powers.

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Merkley identified health care, affordable housing, education and good-paying jobs as priorities. He also called for investment in research, technology and transportation to support domestic manufacturing, which he described as essential to maintaining a strong middle class.

Brock Smith thanked supporters and volunteers in his Nov. 3 concession statement and said he looked forward to continuing to work with Merkley. He pointed to affordability, education reform, public safety and forest management to reduce wildfire risk and support rural jobs as priorities for his work in Salem. He also called for changes to addiction treatment and homelessness programs.

“I will continue to serve in the Oregon State Senate, working every day for the people I represent and for the priorities that matter to families across our beloved state,” Brock Smith said.

Chris Henry, the Progressive and Pacific Green nominee, received 35,540 votes, or 2.05%. Libertarian Gary Lyndon Dye received 16,874 votes, or 0.97%, and write-in candidates received 1,332 votes, or 0.08%.