# David Brock Smith **David Brock Smith** is the 2026 Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Oregon against [[Jeff Merkley]]. A state senator for the coastal District 1 since 2023 and a legislator since 2017 (Oregon House first), he announced March 3, 2026 and was the only sitting legislator in a seven-candidate primary. He won the May 19 primary with 29.5% — 107,953 votes, a 2.4-point margin over perennial candidate Jo Rae Perkins (27.1%) and Brent Barker (23.3%); AP did not call the race until Friday, May 22. He had raised $121,000 with $29,000 on hand through June 30 against Merkley's $6.83M. Not to be confused with [[David Brock]], the Media Matters founder. See [[OR-Sen-2026]].