Democratic challenger Jeff Merkley has been projected the winner of Oregon’s Senate race over incumbent Republican Sen. Gordon Smith, bringing the Democrats to at least 55 seats in the Senate.

The win was reported by the Associated Press Wednesday, though votes are still being counted.

The Oregonian newspaper also projected Merkley, a five-term state lawmaker and former Habitat for Humanity director, will “squeak bye” his opponent when all the votes are counted.

On Wednesday night, Merkley had a lead of more than 4,000 votes with 80 percent of votes counted, the paper reported. By Thursday morning, the Associated Press said Merkley had a lead of 36,000 votes, as counties where voters lean heavily toward Merkley were added.
Smith, who been a Senator for Oregon for the last 12 years, called Merkley Thursday morning to concede the race.

Oregon will have a two-Democrat Senate team for the first time in four decades when Merkley joins Sen. Ron Wyden.

Other Senate races are still too close to call in Minnesota, Georgia and Alaska, as the Democrats get one seat closer to their goal of a 60-seat, filibuster-proof majority. Including Merkley’s seat and two independents who usually vote with the Democrats, the party will have at least 57 votes in the Senate when the next session of Congress convenes in January.

Wyden’s chief of staff in Portland, Josh Kardon, told the Oregonian that reaching 60 seats is unlikely, but the closer the better.

“The ability to defuse Republican filibusters goes up exponentially with 57 votes instead of 56 votes,” Kardon said.

Both the Republican and Democratic parties poured money into the Oregon Senate race, making it one of the most expensive such races in the country.