A NY Times profile on the Udall cousins (Mark and Tom), storied Democratic officials from the West, and both with active Senate campaigns, buries an interesting and very disappointing nugget of information way down deep: the two Udalls, despite runnings as Democrats, will support Gordon Smith (R-OR) in his campaign against challenger Jeff Merkley. The reason? He's their cousin.
Here's the relevant passage:
The ties of the pioneering Arizona family run deep in the West. A more distant cousin is Senator Gordon H. Smith, Republican of Oregon, who faces his own re-election challenge in November. He meets occasionally with his kin in the Capitol.
“I coach them on the economy, they coach me on the environment,” said Mr. Smith, who, like his cousins, has long opposed oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Given their history in Arizona, the Udalls also have a close relationship with the state’s senior senator, John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Morris mentored Mr. McCain in the House, Mark has a notable friendship with him, and Tom traveled with him to Iraq on a Congressional trip.
While the Udalls say they are pulling for Mr. Smith due to their blood connection, they draw the line at Mr. McCain.
How disappointing! Their own family relations are more important than electing Jeff Merkley to replace the I-support-Bush-except-during-an-election-year Gordon Smith? It's a great story to have cousins running active and probably successful Senate campaigns, but much less of a good story to find that they are supporting another one of their cousins despite the fact that he's running against someone in their own party.
Here are links to the two campaigns. I hope you'll join me in urging them to support Jeff Merkley for Senate. Want to support your cousin Gordon? Fine--cook him a nice steak at the next family reunion. Want to elect better senators? Get on board with Jeff Merkley.
Mark Udall for Senate
Tom Udall for Senate