PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon said Thursday that he will run for reelection next year to seek a fourth term in Congress. In a statement, the 68-year-old denounced the Trump administration and described efforts to stand against growing threats to democracy as “the fight of our lives, and I'm not backing down.” "This is a dark and dangerous time for our democracy, and the only way through it is together,” he said. Merkley is the top Democrat on the powerful Senate Budget Committee.