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Jeff Merkley is challenging Gordon Smith for the U.S. Senate in Oregon. Jeff is the current Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives, which just completed the most progressive and productive legislative session in the last 30 years in Oregon.Jeff was born in the small town of Myrtle Creek, Oregon. He spent his early years in the Roseburg and graduated from David Douglas High School in Portland.He went on to Stanford and then to Princeton, where he earned a Master's in Public Policy. In 1982, he won appointment as a Presidential Management Fellow, which gave him the opportunity to tackle several pressing issues in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.While serving as a Presidential Fellow, he focused his energy on the critical problems of safeguarding American military technology, verifying arms treaties, and assisting the U.S. delegation to NATO.Jeff then moved to the Congressional Budget Office, where analyzed strategic nuclear weapons systems and programs. After returning to Oregon, Jeff was executive director for Portland Habitat for Humanity and president of the World Affairs Council of Oregon, where he continues to serve on the Board of Trustees.In 1998 Jeff was elected the the Oregon Legislature. In 2003, he was elected Democratic Leader.In 2006, he lead the House Democrats to an unprecedented electoral victory, toppling three Republican incumbents and claiming the House majority for the Democrats for the first time in 16 years. Jeff was unanimously elected Speaker of the Oregon House for the 2007 legislative session.