Ron Wyden.

At first glance, Senator Ron Wyden from Oregon seems to demonstrate the kinds of Democratic beliefs that typify many members of his party: he is in favor of consumer rights and is clearly an environmental advocate. Past opponents, though, have projected his image as being liberal to the extreme, suggesting that he is irresponsible in matters of the economy and the national budget. Wyden himself suggests that despite his strong opinions, he is closer to the political center than his critics maintain, pointing out that he is in favor of capital punishment and strives for bipartisanship.

Early Life & Career

Born in Wichita, Kansas, on May 3, 1949, Ron Wyden spent part of his childhood in the state of California. He attended Palo Alto High School there and was known as an excellent basketball player. His athletic skills earned him a scholarship to the University of California at Santa Barbara, which he attended until 1969. He earned his undergraduate degree at Stanford University and continued on to law school at the University of Oregon, earning his law degree in 1974.

Before entering politics, Wyden worked as a professor of gerontology and the director of Oregon Services for the Elderly (1977–1979). He was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1980 and continued to serve there until he became a US Senator in February 1996.

Running for Senate

In the US House, Wyden consistently voted in favor of rights-based legislation; for example, he fought for the rights of consumers not only during the congressional tobacco industry hearings in 1994 but also when he influenced breakfast cereal companies to adapt their marketing-to-children strategies. He fought for abortion rights and supported the testing of the drug RU-486. He also struggled to keep the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) stringent guidelines in place.

When Republican Senator Bob Packwood resigned in 1996, leaving an open seat for the US Senate, Wyden decided to enter the race. His opponent in the general election, Republican Gordon Smith, a self-made millionaire from rural northeastern Oregon and the president of the state Senate, described the most controversial of Wyden's views as too extreme for the citizens of the state. For example, Wyden went against the ban on partial-birth abortions and indicated his support for legalizing same-sex marriages. Smith also pointed out that Wyden had voted against a balanced national budget several times.

Wyden, conversely, suggested to voters that Smith was too conservative and, if he was elected, would bolster the already strong influence then-Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, had on the populace. As election season wore on, the number of negative ads and amount of mudslinging increased between the two candidates.

The race was very close throughout the campaign, and polls showed that Wyden and Smith were practically tied. A few weeks before the election, which was to be conducted entirely by mail, Wyden took the initiative to drop the slanderous ads in an effort to redirect the campaign back to the issues. Smith followed suit, and the deadline for voters to mail in their ballots arrived.

A Slim Victory

Wyden defeated Smith by a minuscule margin, approximately 2 percent of the total votes cast. Smith was elected to the Senate position vacated by retiring Republican Mark Hatfield later that year.

Upon taking his seat in the US Senate, Wyden supported several pieces of influential legislation. In 1998, Wyden and Representative Christopher Cox, a Republican from California, offered up an Internet Tax Freedom Bill, which would have banned internet access taxes until 2004. This was eventually amended to limit only certain taxes. Also in 1998, Wyden prevented a vote on an assisted suicide measure that might have resulted in pharmacists' being held accountable for physician-assisted suicide in Oregon.

Political Agenda

In 2001, Wyden named oil companies he blamed for a price-fixing cover-up in a report, "The Oil Industry, Gas Supply, and Refinery Capacity: More Than Meets the Eye." He hoped to gain federal regulation of the companies by making the accusations.

Upon his election to a second term in 1998, Wyden made technology a priority. In 2002, he and Cox again supported the rights of consumers by attempting to pass the Technology Consumer Bill of Rights. The bill allowed for freer use of home digital products, to the chagrin of consumer electronics manufacturers. In 2003, Wyden again worked with Cox to present a bill promoting the future consumer use of hydrogen-powered cars.

Wyden's committee assignments included Budget; Energy and Natural Resources; Commerce, Science and Transportation; and Environment and Public Works. He also served on the Special Committee on Aging and the Select Committee on Intelligence. Wyden was reelected in 2004, defeating Republican Party candidate Al King.

Wyden voted against the financial bailouts handed down by the federal government during the financial crisis of 2007. Although he was also critical of the federal stimulus plan supported by the administration of US President Barack Obama, he voted in support of the legislation. Wyden was reelected in 2010. During this term, he served on the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the Committee on Finance, among others.

Wyden was reelected to the Senate in 2016 and 2022, beating Republican challengers Mark Callahan and Jo Rae Perkins, respectively. In 2023, Wyden was Chair of the Senate Finance Committee and Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Taxation. In 2024, he continued to work on passing legislation on what he considered to be key issues, including the National Prescribed Fire Act that would allow for controlled burning of forestland to preserve its overall health and reduce the risk of uncontrolled wildfires. In anticipation of the 2024 presidential election, Wyden and several colleagues asked social media sites to step up their efforts to control election-related misinformation and disinformation.

Bibliography

Heller, Marc. "Wyden Looks to Lame Duck for Prescribed Fire Push." E&E News by Politico, 17 Oct. 2024, www.eenews.net/articles/wyden-looks-to-lame-duck-for-prescribed-fire-push/. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.

"Issues." Senator Ron Wyden, 2023, www.wyden.senate.gov/issues. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.

"Meet Ron." Senator Ron Wyden, 2023, www.wyden.senate.gov/meet-ron. Accessed 17 Oct.2024.

"Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Urge Social Media and Encrypted Messages Companies to Increase Resources Toward Combating 2024 U.S. Election Disinformation." Ron Wyden United States Senator for Oregon, 23 Sept. 2024, www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-merkley-colleagues-urge-social-media-and-encrypted-messages-companies-to-increase-resources-toward-combating-2024-us-election-disinformation. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.