Democrat Bill Bradbury

Oregon’s current secretary of state is counting, in part, on student support to catapult him into the U.S. Senate.
Bradbury, who went into the Senate race as an underdog against a well-established incumbent, has built his campaign around accountability. He said he would make both the government and corporations more accountable for their actions and would also press hard to defend Oregon’s Death With Dignity law.
A former small-business owner and television journalist, Bradbury has relied on the support of longtime political supporters such as Gov. John Kitzhaber to fuel him in his race.
Bradbury said he would fight to increase Pell Grant funding .

Republican Gordon Smith

An incumbent in the Senate, Smith has based his campaign on coalition-building, strengthening Oregon’s economy and improving schools in Oregon.
One of his most notable successes was Smith’s ability to form a partnership with Sen. Ron Wyden. Smith lost to Wyden in a closely contested bitter Oregon race for the U.S. Senate, but then bounced back from the loss, befriended Wyden and ran again when Oregon’s other Senate seat became open.
For higher education, Smith also backs increasing student grants and said he would fight for research grants and other aid at Oregon’s universities.