Of course this was what the Oregonian was going to do: Never any question about it. It endorsed Democrat Barack Obama for president and Republican Gordon Smith for (re-election to) the U.S. Senate.
On the first, this: "In the century and a half that Oregon and The Oregonian have been making presidential choices, there has rarely been a time when the nation so desperately needed a sharp change in direction. To provide that change, The Oregonian strongly urges voters to support Barack Obama."
On the Senate race: "It is a close, contentious and very negative contest in which both men can make cases for themselves. With his seniority, record of moderation, ear for the concerns of Oregonians and willingness to break with his party when the circumstances call for it, we think Smith makes the better case."
Maybe the more key reference was this: "The goal of the Democrats at this moment in history is to gain unquestioned control of the legislative process. In the Senate, that means establishing a 60-vote, filibuster-proof supermajority. The generic nature of their efforts in support of Merkley suggest they are more interested in getting their 60 votes than they are in the welfare of the citizens of Oregon. Merkley's own campaign has focused on his party's views of national and international issues and, where Oregonians come into the picture, they are often illustrations of those broader topics."