The first goal of every novice candidate is to make an impression on voters. Watch this spot from Monica Wehby, via the Examiner, and tell me how she did.

She’s running uphill as a Republican in Oregon but she’s got a few things working for her. One: It’s hard to follow ye olde “war on women” playbook against a candidate like this, especially after watching this ad. Two: Wehby’s a centrist on some issues, including abortion, which might help her play better in a blue state. Three: Her first ad (which you’ll also find below) was a critique of ObamaCare, which sounds risky in a Democratic stronghold until you remember that Oregon’s O-Care exchange was a flaming bag of shinola even more so than Healthcare.gov was. If there’s any state in the country where centrist Democrats might be willing to cast a protest vote against ObamaCare — especially for a doctor — it’s Oregon.

There’s only been one poll so far matching her head to head with Merkley. She trails by 12, but that’s not prohibitive if the public decides they like her and a red wave materializes this fall.