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Greg Walden

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Greg Walden
Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee
In office
January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2021
Preceded byFrank Pallone
Succeeded byCathy McMorris Rodgers
Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee
In office
January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2019
Preceded byFred Upton
Succeeded byFrank Pallone
Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee
In office
January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2017
LeaderJohn Boehner
Paul Ryan
Preceded byPete Sessions
Succeeded bySteve Stivers
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Oregon's 2nd district
In office
January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2021
Preceded byBob Smith
Succeeded byCliff Bentz
Member of the Oregon Senate
from the 28th district
In office
January 1995 – January 1997
Preceded byWes Cooley
Succeeded byTed Ferrioli
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives
from the 56th district
In office
January 1989 – January 1995
Preceded byWayne Fawbush
Succeeded byBob Montgomery
Personal details
Born
Gregory Paul Walden

(1957-01-10) January 10, 1957 (age 67)
The Dalles, Oregon, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Mylene Walden
(m. 1982)
Children1
EducationUniversity of Oregon (BS)

Gregory Paul Walden (born January 10, 1957) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Oregon's 2nd congressional district from 1999 to 2021. He is a Republican. Walden is the son of three-term Oregon State Representative Paul E. Walden.[1] In October 2019, Walden announced that he would not run for reelection in 2020.[2]

Early life, education, and career

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Walden was born in The Dalles, Oregon, the son of Elizabeth (née McEwen) and Paul Ernest Walden.[3] He earned a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Oregon in 1981.[4] Before being elected to Congress, Walden owned and ran radio stations.

Political career

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Walden served as press secretary and chief of staff to Congressman Denny Smith from 1981 to 1987. He was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 1988 and served in the House until 1995, when he was appointed to the Oregon State Senate to fill a vacancy that opened up when Wes Cooley was elected to the U. S. House. Walden rose to the position of assistant majority leader in the Senate and was considering a bid for Oregon Governor in 1994. But upon discovering that the son he and his wife were expecting had a heart defect, Walden decided to not run for governor or seek reelection to the state senate. Their son died soon after birth.[5]

Walden was tapped as campaign manager for Cooley's reelection bid, but after Cooley was caught in several lies about his military service, Walden was one of many Republicans who called on Cooley to drop out of the race. Walden went as far as to announce he was running for the 2nd District seat as an independent. But he served as the Oregon chairman of Bob Dole's presidential campaign, and touted his "strong Republican credentials", implying that he would serve as a Republican if elected. Walden's candidacy led to fears that the Democrats could take advantage of a split in the Republican vote and take a seat they hadn't held since 1981.[6] This ended when Cooley's predecessor, Bob Smith, was called out of retirement.[7]

Smith did not run for reelection in 1998. Walden easily won the Republican primary and the November general election. His district contains some liberal-leaning communities such as Ashland and his hometown, Hood River, but most of it leans heavily Republican, and Walden has been reelected ten times without serious difficulty, never receiving less than 60% of the vote except in 2018, when he received 56%. In 2002, he defeated Democrat Peter Buckley, who later became a member of the Oregon House of Representatives. In 2006, Walden defeated Democratic nominee Carol Voisin, and in 2008 he won a sixth term with 70% of the vote over Democrat Noah Lemas and Pacific Green Tristin Mock. After Senator Gordon Smith's defeat in the 2008 elections, Walden became the only Republican representing Oregon in Congress.

On October 28, 2019, Walden announced that he would not run for reelection. He disagreed with President Donald Trump over Trump's attempts to finance his border wall project and backed sanctioning Russia despite Trump's resistance. He voted to end the 35-day government shutdown and spoke up about the global warming crisis, but supported Trump in the Ukraine quid pro quo scandal.[8]

U.S. House of Representatives

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Party leadership

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House Speaker John Boehner chose Walden to be chairman of the House Majority Transition Committee. He served as chairman of the House Republican leadership through most of 2010.[9]

After the 2012 elections, Walden became chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee. In July 2014, he announced he would seek a second term as chair, arguing he would help provide continuity in a changing leadership team after the defeat of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.[10] He served a second term, the traditional limit for holders of the office, ending in 2016.

Committee assignments

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From 2010 to 2011, Walden gave up his seat on the Committee on Energy and Commerce at Republican leadership's request so that Parker Griffith, who had recently switched parties, could take his spot.[11]

Walden founded the Small Brewers Caucus and the Digital Television Caucus; as of 2007, he was a member of 39 congressional caucuses.[12]

Oregon Congressmen Earl Blumenauer (left) and Walden, hiking on Mount Hood during a 2005 fact-finding trip[13]

Walden was also a member of the centrist Republican Main Street Partnership,[14] the Congressional Cement Caucus and the Congressional Western Caucus.[15]

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The following is an incomplete list of legislation Walden has introduced into the House of Representatives.

Malheur Wildlife Refuge

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Walden, whose district office includes the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, said that although one militant was killed and another wounded in the armed occupation of the refuge, "We can all be grateful that today has ended peacefully, and that this situation is finally over. Now, life in Harney County can begin to return to normal and the community can begin the long process of healing." He complained about allegedly poor federal forest and land management policies during the occupation, and said he would like to see changes to those policies: "We need to foster a more cooperative spirit between the federal agencies and the people who call areas like Harney County home."[23] On June 27, 2018, Walden pleaded for a pardon for Dwight and Steven Hammond, who repeatedly committed arson and threatened federal refuge workers over an 18-year period, saying that the original trial's federal judge, Michael Robert Hogan, said that the mandatory sentence would "shock the conscious [sic]". On July 10, Trump pardoned both men, commuting their sentences to time served.[24] Steven had been scheduled to be released on June 29, 2019, and Dwight on February 13, 2020.[25]

Personal life

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Walden during the 109th Congress

Walden and his wife, Mylene, live in Hood River with their son Anthony. They participate in local civic groups such as the Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce.[citation needed]

Walden was a licensed amateur (ham) radio operator, W7EQI.[citation needed]

On January 31, 2007, Walden sold Columbia Gorge Broadcasting, which runs five stations in the eastern Columbia River Gorge, to Bicoastal Columbia River LLC in order to avoid any conflict of interest that might arise with his congressional duties.[26]

Walden is an Episcopalian.[27] He is a board member for American Edge, a lobbying organization for the technology industry.[28]

Electoral history

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Greg Walden General Electoral Results 1998–2018[29]
Year Democrat Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct Other party Other votes Other pct
2018 Jamie McLeod-Skinner 145,298 39.41% √ Greg Walden 207,597 56.30% Mark R. Roberts (Independent) 15,536 4.21%
2016 Jim Crary 106,640 27.29% √ Greg Walden 272,952 69.87% No candidate
2014 Aelea Christofferson 73,785 25.67% √ Greg Walden 202,374 70.41% Sharon Durbin (Libertarian) 10,491 3.65%
2012 Joyce B. Segers 96,741 29.16% √ Greg Walden 228,043 68.73% Joe Tabor (Libertarian) 7,025 2.12%
2010 Joyce B. Segers 72,173 25.86% √ Greg Walden 206,245 73.91% No candidate
2008 Noah Lemas 87,649 25.75% √ Greg Walden 236,560 69.49% Richard D. Hake (Constitution) 5,817 1.70%
Tristin Mock (Green) 9,668 2.84%
2006 Carol Voisin 82,484 30.35% √ Greg Walden 181,529 66.80% Jack Allen Brown Jr. (Constitution) 7,193 2.64%
2004 John C. McColgan 88,914 25.63% √ Greg Walden 248,461 71.64% Jim Lindsay (Libertarian) 4,792 1.38%
Jack Allen Brown Jr. (Constitution) 4,060 1.17%
2002 Peter Buckley 64,991 25.76% √ Greg Walden 181,295 71.86% Mike Wood (Libertarian) 5,681 2.25%
2000 Walter Ponsford 78,101 26.12% √ Greg Walden 220,086 73.63% No candidate
1998 Kevin M. Campbell 74,924 34.81% √ Greg Walden 132,316 61.48% Lindsey Bradshaw (Libertarian) 4,729 2.19%
Rohn Webb (Socialist) 2,773 1.28%

References

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  1. ^ "Oregon Legislative Assembly (56th) 1971 Regular Session". Oregon State Archives (official website). Oregon Secretary of State. 2006. Retrieved December 8, 2006.
  2. ^ Bresnahan, John; Zanona, Melanie; Mutnick, Ally (October 28, 2019). "Greg Walden to retire in latest sign of GOP doubts about retaking House". Politico. Washington, DC. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  3. ^ "RootsWeb.com Home Page". freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  4. ^ "Guide to the New Congress" (PDF). CQ Roll Call. November 4, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 8, 2011. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
  5. ^ Wong, Peter (April 26, 1998). "Profile: Walden hopes to snag May 19 GOP primary win". Mail Tribune. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  6. ^ Toner, Robin (July 18, 1996). "Political briefing: the states and the issues". New York Times. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
  7. ^ "The 1996 elections: The states: West". New York Times. November 7, 1996. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
  8. ^ Bresnahan, John; Zanona, Melanie; Mutnick, Ally (October 28, 2019). "Greg Walden to retire in latest sign of GOP doubts about retaking House". Politico. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  9. ^ Meet the GOP transition leader: Greg Walden Archived March 2, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, WhoRunsGov.com, November 8, 2010
  10. ^ Livingston, Abby. "Greg Walden to Seek Second Term Running NRCC (Updated)". www.rollcall.com. Roll Call. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  11. ^ "Walden Rises Up From Obscurity". Roll Call. National Republican Congressional Committee. March 8, 2010. Archived from the original on March 20, 2010. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  12. ^ Chu, Keith (July 10, 2007). "Another day, another caucus". Bend Bulletin. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  13. ^ "Walden, Blumenauer Statement on Mt. Hood Trek". house.gov. August 19, 2005. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  14. ^ "Members". Republican Mains Street Partnership. Archived from the original on August 26, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  15. ^ "Members". Congressional Western Caucus. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  16. ^ "H.R. 2640 – Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  17. ^ "CBO – H.R. 2640". Congressional Budget Office. August 2, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  18. ^ "H.R. 3675 – CBO". Congressional Budget Office. January 29, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  19. ^ a b c d Kasperowicz, Pete (March 11, 2014). "House votes for more transparency at the FCC". The Hill. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  20. ^ Nedd, Michael D (February 26, 2014). "H.R. 3366: Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center". United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  21. ^ Clevenger, Andrew (May 29, 2014). "House passes Hermiston legislation". The Bulletin. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  22. ^ "H.R. 4572 – Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  23. ^ Mapes, Jeff (February 16, 2016) [1st pub. February 11, 2016]. "Oregon Congressman: Malheur Could Have Been Prevented With Earlier Bundy Arrest". Portland, OR: Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  24. ^ Sullivan, Eileen; Turkewitz, Julie (July 10, 2018). "Trump Pardons Oregon Ranchers Whose Case Inspired Wildlife Refuge Takeover". New York Times. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  25. ^ Federal Inmate Locator, Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  26. ^ "U.S. Rep. Walden sells radio stations in Columbia Gorge". kgw.com. Associated Press. February 1, 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved February 26, 2007.
  27. ^ Religious affiliation of members of 116th Congress (PDF) (Report). Pew Research Center. January 3, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  28. ^ Feiner, Brian; Schwartz, Lauren (May 1, 2023). "Facebook was the main donor to a group that fought antitrust reforms in 2020 and 2021". CNBC. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  29. ^ "Election Statistics, 1920 to Present". History, Art and Archives United States House of Representatives. United States House of Representatives Office of the Historian. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Oregon's 2nd congressional district

1999–2021
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the House Energy Committee
2017–2019
Succeeded by
Preceded by Ranking Member of the House Energy Committee
2019–2021
Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee
2013–2017
Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former US Representative Order of precedence of the United States
as Former US Representative
Succeeded byas Former US Representative