or_sen_WYDEN

(CBS) 





SEN. RONALD WYDEN




Democratic Incumbent, seeking first full term after special 1996 election

Age: 49

Born: May 3, 1949, Wichita, Kansas

Education: University of Oregon, J.D. (1974); Stanford University, B.A. (1971)

Military: None

Family: married - Laurie; 2 children

Hometown: Portland, Oregon

Religion: Jewish

Career: U.S. Senator (1996-present); U.S. House of Representatives (1980-96); Professor of Gerontology; Director, Oregon Legal Services for the Elderly (1977-79); Co-Director and Co-Founder, OR Grey Panthers (1974-80)

· Incumbent Democratic Senator Ron Wyden’s political career began as advocate for Sr. Citizens. Wyden co-founded the Gray Panthers, an elderly advocacy group and successfully organized a referendum to reduce denture prices.

· An expert on gerontology issues, Wyden taught several courses on the issue at local schools, including the University of Oregon.

· In 1980, 30-year old Wyden challenged and defeated Portland’s incumbent Democratic Congressman, Robert Duncan. He went on to win the House seat with 72% of the vote; this landslide was an early predictor of the ease with which Wyden would be elected to seven more terms.

· Wyden’s skill at forming alliances helped him successfully push legislation through the house. He pushed for U.S. importation of the French abortion pill, RU-486 and introduced a bill prohibiting infant formula manufacturers from engaging in anti-competitive bidding.

· In 1996, Wyden won a Senate seat in a special election held after Sen. Bob Packwood resigned, in response to sexual harassment charges from former female staffers. His more conservative primary challenger, Rep. Peter DeFazio, held him to a slim six point victory. One potentially campaign-ending moment: a televised quiz, in which Wyden couldn’t name Canada’s Prime Minister o locate Bosnia on a globe.

· AFL-CIO and Sierra Club advertising helped Wyden defeat his Republican challenger in ‘96 special General Election - less than 19,000 votes separated him from the State Senate President, (Oregon’s present Junior Senator) Gordon Smith. Democrats hailed the win as a rejection of Republican House Speaker, Newt Gingrich.

· As a Freshman Senator, Wyden campaigned against government censorship of the Internet. He urged on-line providers to offer web monitoring devices to parents.