 While Mannix ran a fairly strong campaign, he was hurt by the presence on the ballot of Libertarian Tom Cox, who drew nearly 58,000 votes – more than Myers' margin of victory.Myers drew headlines in 2001 when Oregon went to federal court to defend the Oregon Death with Dignity Act, the state's physician-assisted suicide law, against John Ashcroft who was then United States Attorney General, who opened the way for federal prosecution of doctors who prescribed lethal doses of medication.Oregon won at all levels, including the U.S. Supreme Court when the case Gonzales v. Oregon was heard in 2006 and was won in a 6–3 decision.