Greg Walden

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]

Greg Walden
Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee
In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2021
Preceded by	Frank Pallone
Succeeded by	Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee
In office January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Fred Upton
Succeeded by	Frank Pallone
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon's 2nd district
In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2021
Preceded by	Bob Smith
Succeeded by	Cliff Bentz
Member of the Oregon Senate from the 28th district
In office January 1995 – January 1997
Preceded by	Wes Cooley
Succeeded by	Ted Ferrioli
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives from the 56th district
In office January 1989 – January 1995
Preceded by	Wayne Fawbush
Succeeded by	Bob Montgomery
Personal details
Born	Gregory Paul Walden January 10, 1957 The Dalles, Oregon, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Mylene Walden ​ (m. 1982)​
Children	1 son
Education	University of Oregon (BS)

Early life, education and career

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

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

Party leadership

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

• Committee on Energy and Commerce
  • Subcommittee on Communications and Technology (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Power

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]

Legislation sponsored

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

• Central Oregon Jobs and Water Security Act (H.R. 2640; 113th Congress), a land-use and water bill related to the Crooked River in Oregon and the Bowman Dam.[16] H.R. 2640 would modify features of the Crooked River Project in central Oregon, near Prineville, and prioritize how water from the project is allocated.[17]
• Federal Communications Commission Process Reform Act of 2013 (H.R. 3675; 113th Congress), a bill that would make a number of changes to procedures that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) follows in its rule-making processes.[18] The FCC would have to act in more transparently and accept public input on regulations.[19] Walden said the bill was written in response, among other things, to a proposed FCC study on the newspaper editorial boards' decisions.[19] Walden argued that "Americans deserve greater... transparency and accountability from their government," particularly because "an item as controversial as this study made it all the way through the FCC without so much as a commission vote."[19] He called the study dangerous because it threatened the papers' free speech and freedom of the press rights.[19]
• Hermiston Reversionary Interest Release Act (H.R. 3366; 113th Congress), a bill that would release the interest of the United States in some land being used for Oregon State University's Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Hermiston, Oregon.[20] This would enable the center to relocate without its land being returned to the federal government.[21] The Bureau of Land Management opposed the bill and it died in the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. President Barack Obama signed the bill into law in December 2014.
• STELA Reauthorization Act of 2014 (H.R. 4572; 113th Congress), a bill related to the regulation of satellite broadcasting.[22]

Intervention in Malheur Wildlife Refuge issues

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

Walden during the 109th Congress

Walden and his wife, Mylene, live in Hood River with their son Anthony. They are members of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America and participate in local civic groups such as the Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce.

Walden was a licensed amateur (ham) radio operator, W7EQI.

Business interests

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]

Electoral history

Greg Walden General Electoral Results 1998–2018[27]

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

References

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. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
18. "H.R. 3675 – CBO". Congressional Budget Office. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
19. 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". Associated Press. kgw.com. February 1, 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved February 26, 2007.
27. "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.

External links

• Greg Walden at Curlie
• Appearances on C-SPAN

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Greg Walden at The Oregonian