Sen. Gordon Smith (R), locked in a tight re-election bid with state Speaker Jeff Merkley (D), could face trouble on his right from Constitution Party nominee Dave Brownlow.

Brownlow, though not a doctrinaire conservative, might attract voters unhappy with Smith’s relatively moderate Senate voting record. Brownlow is anti-abortion and favors an immediate end to the Iraq War.

Earlier this week, Independent Senate candidate John Frohnmayer dropped out of the race. Frohnmayer, an ex-appointee of former President George. H.W. Bush, was seen as a potential threat to Merkley, having called last year for President Bush to be impeached.

— David M. Drucker