I don’t know if Steve Novick has conceded, but Jeff Merkley has declared victory. From his campaign:

After winning the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, House Speaker Jeff Merkley declared that tonight Oregon took a bold step to send George Bush and Gordon Smith into retirement. The most recent polls show Merkley in a statistical dead heat with Smith, who spent over $500,000 in the primary falsely attacking Merkley. Merkley said that Gordon Smith has been a “rubber stamp” for George Bush, and declared that Oregon is ready for change.

If you want to change Washington D.C. and set a new direction for America, then join our fight to deliver hope and opportunity to every single American. If you want more of the same - an agenda scripted by the most powerful corporate interests - then vote for Gordon Smith.

Gordon Smith has voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time. Smith supported Bush tax breaks for oil companies at a time of record gas prices [Senate vote #222, 6/21/07]. Smith supported Bush tax loopholes for corporations that ship jobs overseas [Senate vote #63, 3/17/05]. Smith supported Bush as he spent America into more than 9 trillion dollars of debt [TreasuryDirect.gov, accessed 5/20/08]. Smith stood with Bush when he led America into an unjust war in Iraq with no plan to bring American soldiers home [Senate vote #237, 10/11/02].

The winds of change are sweeping across Oregon and they’re about to sweep Gordon Smith out of office.

Merkley thanked his family for their support and sacrifice and thanked the thousands of supporters that gave their time, their money, and their passion to the cause of changing this country.

Merkley also thanked Steve Novick, Candy Neville and the other fine Democrats in this race:

Together our campaigns inspired more Oregonians than ever before, and we did it because we agreed on a progressive vision for America. Steve, Candy, and the others in this race took on the challenges of this campaign because they love their country and they believe in a brighter future. They deserve our gratitude and appreciation.

More after the cut.

Jeff Merkley spent his early years in rural Oregon in communities where the children of loggers and mill workers learned the value of honest work, good neighbors, and strong families. Jeff earned scholarships and became the first in his family to go to college. He went on to serve as a national security analyst, first for the Pentagon and then for Congress. After returning to Oregon with his wife Mary, Jeff led Habitat for Humanity and worked to help families work their way into the middle class by purchasing a home, starting a business, or saving for college.

As Oregon's next U.S. Senator, Jeff Merkley will take on the special interests and fight for regular hardworking Oregonians. He will take on the big insurance and drug companies to make health care more affordable and accessible for all Americans. He will end unfair trade deals that have cost Oregon 70,000 manufacturing jobs and close tax loopholes for corporations that ship jobs overseas. And Merkley will end the war in Iraq, bring our sons and daughters home, and fulfill the commitment we have made to our veterans and men and women in uniform.

Today, Jeff Merkley lives in East Multnomah County with Mary, a registered nurse at Providence Portland Medical Center, and their two children, Jonathan age twelve and Brynne age ten.