Beyond the Dome

Here’s an unusual strategy for a Republican senator facing re-election: Gordon H. Smith of Oregon is running a TV ad in Oregon that brags about his bipartisan work — with Barack Obama.

“Who says Gordon Smith helped lead the fight for better gas mileage and a cleaner environment? Barack Obama,” the ad says. “He joined with Gordon and broke through a 20-year deadlock to pass new laws which increased gas mileage for automobiles.”

The ad highlights an Obama press release from 2006 about a bill he, Republican Sen. Richard G. Lugar of Indiana, Democratic Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, Smith, and several others introduced to reduce gasoline consumption by requiring the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration to increase fuel economy standards by a “target” of one mile per gallon each year.

In case anyone missed the message, Smith hammers it at the end of the ad: “I’m Gordon Smith, and I approve working together across party lines — and this ad.”

It’s an odd re-election strategy for a senator who, just a few weeks ago, was telling me all about how it was John McCain who had the real record of bipartisan accomplishment in the Senate, while Obama had barely done anything.

“No one has shown less partisanship and more independence from his party than Sen. McCain. That’s just a fact,” Smith said in my piece about independent voters.

Still, it’s not so surprising after a quick look at the most recent polls on the presidential race, including the double-digit lead Obama held over McCain in a Los Angeles Times-Bloomberg poll released today.

CQPolitics rates Smith’s re-election race as Leans Republican, meaning he has an edge but will have to fight to keep his seat against a challenge from state House Speaker Jeff Merkley.

And unfortunately for Smith, Obama isn’t returning the love.

“Barack Obama has a long record of bipartisan accomplishment and we appreciate that it is respected by his Democratic and Republican colleagues in the Senate,” Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement last night. “But in this race, Oregonians should know that Barack Obama supports Jeff Merkley for Senate. Merkley will help Obama bring about the fundamental change we need in Washington.”