PORTLAND, Ore. -- A new Portland Tribune-FOX 12 poll shows Republican Sen. Gordon Smith and Democrat Jeff Merkley in a dead heat in the race for Oregon's senate seat.

The poll, conducted by Davis, Hibbitts & Midghall Inc., shows 37 percent of voters supporting Smith and 36 percent of voters supporting Merkley.

Attack ads from the pair have filled the airwaves in recent months and voters said some of the mudslinging ads have confused them.

"I haven't heard what they're going to do, but what they've done -- and everything that they've been done has been negative," said Gary Thurston, a Portland voter.

"After a while, it just kind of becomes white noise," said Lori Hymowitz, who lives in Portland.

Tim Hibbitts, FOX 12's political analyst, said he can understand the voters' confusion.

"There isn't a positive thing coming out of either one of these candidates," Hibbitts said. "They're basically dumping buckets of slop over each other's head."

Hibbitts said Smith has done damage to Merkley with his campaign, but hasn't helped himself in the process. The negative ads and Smith's perceived connection to President George W. Bush may be responsible for a drop in the Portland Tribune-FOX 12 poll.

The latest poll shows 33 percent of voters have a favorable impression of Smith. Three years ago, 60 percent of voters had a favorable impression of the senator.

Voters said they're trying to ignore the negative ads and hold out for debates where they feel they'll receive more honest answers.

"If they would go by their merits and what they're going to do, it would be a lot better," Thurston said.

Five hundred people were surveyed from across the state in the Davis, Hibbitts & Midghall Inc. poll. The results have a margin of error of +/- 4.4 percent.

Poll Results