A candidate facing a tough re-election fight is making clear his ties to Barack Obama on a bill the two worked on together to promote better gas mileage and a healthier environment. In and of itself, that's not news. But it certainly becomes news when that candidate is Oregon Senator Gordon Smith, a Republican facing a tough re-election bid against State House Speaker Jeff Merkley.

Smith, who has a big financial advantage over his Democratic opponent, is tying himself not to his party's presidential nominee but to Obama, who won the state's Democratic presidential primary by a wide margin. Smith is seen as a top target for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and he has made his own breaks from Republicans a major theme of his re-election bid. "I approve working together across party lines and this ad," says Smith at the end of the thirty-second ad.

To run such an advertisement in a state John McCain has mentioned should be fiercely competitive is both telling and disheartening for Republicans. The party is struggling all along the West Coast -- Smith is the only GOP senator outside Alaska whose state touches the Pacific Ocean -- and though McCain had hoped to make Washington and Oregon swing states, the fact that a Republican would associate himself with McCain's rival has to call that decision into question.

It isn't the first time Smith has so publicly broken with his party, either. After the 2006 midterm elections, Smith reversed his position on the war in Iraq, saying the elections were a clear signal that his constituents opposed the war. Smith's television advertisements this year have all played up his bipartisan credentials, one featuring a group called "Democrats for Smith" headed by ex-Rep. Elizabeth Furse and former State Senator Avel Gordly.

Merkley, the DSCC and Obama all pounced on Smith, criticizing him for the new advertisement. "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 spokesman Bill Burton stated in an email to reporters. "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."

A mid-May poll conducted by the DSCC showed Smith leading by a narrow three-point margin and five points under the magic 50% marker. Taken with a grain of salt, though, Smith remains the favorite, especially after a bruising Democratic primary in which Merkley only barely won.

Still, if Democrats are in such good shape that even Republican incumbents are touting their work with Barack Obama, the GOP could face a seriously uphill climb to retain even the most marginal of seats this year. At the very least, the ad seemingly confirms that Oregon's transition from purple state to blue state is nearly complete.