Ron Wyden
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| Ron Wyden | |
| | |
| 1996–Present | |
| Political party: | Democratic |
|---|---|
| Preceded by: | Bob Packwood |
| Succeeded by: | Incumbent (2011) |
| Born: | May 3, 1949 Wichita, Kansas |
| Spouse: | (1) Laurie Wyden (divorced) (2) Nancy Bass |
| Religion: | Judaism |
Ronald Lee "Ron" Wyden (born May 3, 1949) is Oregon's senior United States Senator. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
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[edit] Early career and personal life
Wyden was born in Wichita, Kansas to Jewish-American parents who had recently fled Nazi Germany. Before his election to the Senate in 1996, he served 15 years in the United States House of Representatives. Wyden attended the University of California, Santa Barbara on a basketball scholarship before receiving his B.A. with distinction from Stanford University. He received a J.D. degree from the University of Oregon and taught gerontology at several Oregon universities. During this time he was the founder of the Oregon chapter of the Gray Panthers. Senator Wyden's apartment is in Portland, Oregon; he has two children, Adam (22) and Lilly (17), by his former wife Laurie. Wyden was re-married to Nancy Bass, owner of New York's Strand Bookstore, on September 24, 2005, in a ceremony performed by Rabbi Ariel Stone of Portland.
[edit] Congressional career
Image:Ron Wyden and Nancy Bass.JPGIn the 1980 Democratic primary, Wyden, who was just 30 years old at the time, upset incumbent Representative Bob Duncan in Oregon's 3rd congressional district. Later that fall, Wyden easily defeated his Republican opponent Darrell Conger. Wyden was re-elected to the House in each of the following seven elections.
In January 1996, Wyden narrowly defeated state senate president Gordon Smith in a special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by Bob Packwood. (Smith was elected later that year to Oregon's other Senate seat.) Wyden now holds the Senate seat once held by his mentor, the late Wayne Morse—the last Democratic Senator from Oregon before Wyden's election. Wyden was elected to a full term in 1998, and in 2004, was re-elected to another full term, receiving 64% of the vote compared to 31% for his main opponent, Republican Al King.
In the Senate, Wyden serves on the following Committees: Finance; Intelligence; Energy and Natural Resources, Budget and the Special Committee on Aging.
[edit] Voting record
Wyden's voting record is largely consistent with his image as a fiscally moderate, socially liberal, pro-trade Democrat.[1]
[edit] Civil liberty and law
- On November 10, 2005, Wyden was one of five Senate Democrats who joined 44 Republicans in voting "yes" on Amendment no. 2516, brought to the floor by Republican senator Lindsay Graham, which ruled that enemy combatants did not have the right to Habeas Corpus.
- On March 2, 2006, he was one of only 10 senators to vote against renewing the Patriot Act[2], citing concerns about privacy protections[3].
[edit] War, peace, and foreign policy
- Wyden voted against authorization of military force in Iraq, but voted for use of military force in Kosovo[4].
[edit] Social issues
- Wyden has opposed most limits on abortion[5], has voted against limiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers, the flag desecration amendment, and the Defense of Marriage Act. While stating that he personally opposes physican assisted suicide[6], Wyden successfully blocked Senate attempts to pass legislation interfering with Oregon's voter-approved Death with Dignity Act by threatening a filibuster[7]. Wyden has consistently voted against limitations on the use of the death penalty[8].
- Wyden is one of only a few Senators to have publicly announced support for same-sex marriage.
[edit] Trade and business
- Wyden supports free trade and voted in favor of CAFTA. He was also one of the few Democrats to vote in favor of the Bush Administration proposed presciption drug plan passed in 2003. In 1996, he voted against the majority of his party to phase out many farm subsidy programs and also to implement welfare reform policies.
- Wyden voted against the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 and the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, both of which received strong bipartisan majorities.
[edit] Tax policy
- Wyden is critical of the estate tax, which he feels is inefficient, and has voted repeatedly to abolish it. He has also voted with Republicans to lower the capital gains tax, to encourage the study of the flat tax, and to require a 3/5 majority to raise taxes. However Wyden voted against the tax cuts passed in 2001 and 2003, and opposed a balanced budget amendment.
[edit] Environment
- Wyden is a strong supporter of environmental protection measures, and was among the minority of senators to vote against the confirmation of Gale Norton to be Secretary of the Interior.
[edit] Electoral history
- 2004 Race for U.S. Senate
- Ron Wyden (D) (inc.), 63%
- Al King (R), 32%
- 1998 Race for U.S. Senate
- Ron Wyden (D) (inc.), 61%
- John Lim (R), 34%
- Jan. 1996 Race for U.S. Senate (Special Election)
- Ron Wyden (D), 48%
- Gordon Smith (R), 47%
[edit] External links
- Official Senate Web Site
- World Internet News: "Big Oil Looking for a Government Handout"
- Sen. Ron Wyden on Soaring Oil Prices and Company Profits and the Senate Investigation into Prewar Intelligence
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
| Preceded by: Robert B. Duncan | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon's 3rd congressional district 1981–1996 | Succeeded by: Earl Blumenauer |
| Preceded by: Robert Packwood | United States Senator (Class 3) from Oregon 1996 – present Served alongside: Mark Hatfield, Gordon Smith | Incumbent |
| Oregon's current delegation to the United States Congress |
|---|
| Senators: Ron Wyden (D), Gordon H. Smith (R)
Representative(s): David Wu (D), Greg Walden (R), Earl Blumenauer (D), Peter DeFazio (D), Darlene Hooley (D) All delegations: Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming — American Samoa • District of Columbia • Guam • Puerto Rico • U.S. Virgin Islands |
ga:Ron Wyden pl:Ron Wyden sv:Ron Wyden
Categories: 1949 births | American basketball players | German-American politicians | Jewish-American politicians | Living people | Members of the United States House of Representatives from Oregon | People from Kansas | Stanford University alumni | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball players | United States Senators from Oregon | University of California, Santa Barbara alumni
