Only a little more than a month from the November general election, the Oregon Farm Bureau Federation has withdrawn its endorsement of Rep. Joanne Verger in the hotly contested coastal district Senate race.

Despite giving Verger a 100-percent approval rating during her tenure in the House of Representatives, the Farm Bureau said it is concerned that shifting the balance of the deadlocked Senate to Democrats could harm the federation's interests. Farm Bureau President Barry Bushue said in a press release the jousting between Senate Democrats and Republicans, which has stalled the nomination of Coos County Commissioner John Griffith to the Ocean Policy Advisory Council, prompted the group's concern.

"I can't remember us making a change like this ever before," Bushue said in a press release. "This is not a decision our board makes lightly. However, our purpose as an organization is to get the best results we can get for Oregon's family farmers and ranchers in the legislature, in the courts and in the election process."

The Farm Bureau announced it is now supporting Republican Al Pearn for the Senate District 5 position, currently held by Republican Ken Messerle, of Coos Bay.

Verger has no connection to the governor's appointment process and said she has neither supported nor opposed Griffith's nomination to OPAC. Meanwhile, she said the Farm Bureau gave her an A-plus ranking and a 100-percent favorable voting record during her tenure in the House of Representatives.

Recently, Verger also announced that she believes Griffith's appointment to OPAC deserves a hearing before the full Senate. She said she was disappointed by the Farm Bureau's reversal and politicking.

"I don't think it has anything to do with John Griffith because I was not a part of that at all and I certainly haven't opposed John Griffith," Verger said. "I think this is a disappointment to a lot of people that they would allow someone to play politics."

Verger said Pearn has no record of support for the Farm Bureau or the 8,000 family farms and ranches it represents.

"This is a person they've endorsed that has never done a thing for them," Verger said.

Pearn said the Farm Bureau's endorsement is important to him and believes it shows the groundswell of support he is receiving from voters angered by Democrats. He said Verger, while not in the Senate, could have used her status as a coastal representative to influence politicians and ease Griffith's appointment.

"I entered this race because I was concerned about the leadership and representation from the coast," he said. "I don't believe, in my heart of hearts, that we are going to receive appropriate leadership and representation on the coast if my opponent is elected."

Pearn said he is concerned about special interest influences affecting the governor's nominations. While agreeing that Verger is a more moderate Democrat than urban counterparts, he said he believes Democratic control of the Senate would undermine coastal interests.

"It is the seat which will determine the legislation that will go through the Senate for the next two years," he said.

The 65-year-old Republican, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel who owns and manages a tree farm in Florence, has no prior governmental experience.

Bushue said in an announcement that the decision to reverse the endorsement had little to do with Verger and her record. A Democrat known to cross party lines, Verger has garnered strong support from moderate Republicans in the South Coast.

"It's not because of people like Joanne Verger, but because of Portland-area senators who will run the Senate if their party gets 16 seats and who listen to narrow environmental pressure groups rather than common sense or reason or their own governor," Bushue wrote.

The District 5 race has taken an increasingly contentious tone over the past several months, a product of the importance of a seat that could shift the balance of power in the Senate.

Democrats see the seat as winnable and a key to increasing their numbers in the deadlocked, 15-15 Senate. Republicans are trying to hold on to a position that has been theirs for a number of years.