Greg Walden

In this weeks Winner's & Losers the US Senate candidates top both lists, hope is revived for the GOP by one former House Speaker and Oregon needs a new rural prosecutor.  | CLICK HERE

As the filing deadline approaches for second quarter campaign fundraising reports, PolitickerOR.com has reported totals as the numbers have become available. Below are links to our complete coverage, broken down by races.

The clock is ticking for reporting second quarter fundraising numbers, and all eyes are turned toward 5th congressional district candidates Mike Erickson (R-Lake Oswego) and State Sen. Kurt Schrader (D-Canby), neither of who have filed FEC reports.

With all the continued speculation of losing Josephine and Curry counties due to the loss of timber payments from Congress, US Rep. Greg Walden, who was just a few months ago the darling of the Oregon GOP, has likely lost any solid chance he had at winning the governor's office in 2010.

Since the last elected Republican governor of Oregon, Vic Atiyeh, took office in January of 1979, it doesn’t look good for the party’s 2010 prospects.

Congressman Greg Walden continues to tell Republican leaders that he expects to run for Governor in 2010.  Walden has spent more time lately communicating with party leaders and aggressively raising money for his ’08 re-election campaign in his safe GOP district – which will allow him to spend money on TV and radio ads that will increase his name identification and approvals statewide.

If Oregon Democrats are serious about keeping GOP Congressman Greg Walden busy this year, so that he can’t spend the cycle boosting his chances to win election as Governor in 2010, then they’ll recruit a strong candidate to challenge him in the second district this year. One Democratic insider suggested a strong candidate, albeit an unlikely one: Chris Brauer, a Democrat and a popular former Umatilla County District Attorney. But Brauer isn’t likely to step down from his new job as a Circuit Judge for the Sixth Judicial Circuit.

Congressman Greg Walden has one of the safest Republican seats in the country. For years Democrats have ignored his record, his seat and primarily his strong ties to the NRCC. That is until the whispers of a potential run for governor began and the Dems discovered Walden sitting on nearly $900,000 in campaign cash.  read more »