RGA already eyeing Walden

Rep. Greg Walden has told some of his GOP House colleagues that he expects to return to Oregon in 2010 to run for Governor – the latest in a large series of reports that Walden is making no secret of his desire to run statewide in two years, when Gov. Ted Kulongoski is term-limited.  With only a small number of competitive gubernatorial contests in 2008, the Republican Governors Association is already looking to the next cycle, and RGA Chairman Rick Perry, the Governor of Texas, has already mentioned Oregon as a possible pickup. 

Walden has $846,634 in his campaign account (as of June 30), and with little competition this year from Democrat Noah Lemas, he can spend his time – and money – building his name ID across the state in an effort to become better known.  One Republican consultant says that Walden needs to use his ’08 campaign to enhance his early standing as a statewide contender.