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KLCC News will be covering many aspects of the May 2014 Primary Election. Visit this page for all election related stories.

Republican Voters Weigh Candidates' Merits In Oregon's 2nd District Race

David Nogueras

Republican voters in Oregon's 2nd Congressional District have more than one name to choose from in this month's primary election, for the first time in 8 years. Incumbent Greg Walden is running for his 9th term in Congress. Klamath County Commissioner Dennis Linthicum hopes to unseat him.

The latest filings from the Federal Election Commission show Walden holds a huge advantage in fundraising. He's raised more than 2 million dollars. Linthicum on the other hand has raised just over 18 thousand.

Over last few months, Linthicum has been crisscrossing the state in an effort to get his message out to voters.

In addition to appearances on talk radio, and meetings with newspaper editorial boards he's also attending events like this meeting in Prineville, of the Central Oregon Patriots of Crook County. It's a group that identifies itself with the Tea Party movement.

Nat sound: Fades up…"and bless us here in Jesus' name. Amen. Please stand for the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag…"

Near the door, there's table covered with bumper stickers and business cards that read "Dennis Linthicum - Constitutional Conservative." The candidate launches into his stump speech, telling a story about the reaction he got when he handed that card to a man in Grants Pass.

Dennis Linthicum: "He turns to me and asks 'Are you a Tea Party wacko?' And I said, 'I'll tell you what I believe in. I believe in adherence to the Constitution. I believe that will naturally limit the size and scope of government and that will result in fiscal responsibility.' He said to me, with the shake of his hand, 'You've got my vote.' "

Linthicum is a software engineer, who has worked as an independent computer consultant. He was elected to the Klamath County Commission four years ago. He's running on a message that seems to resonate with this crowd - namely that the Constitution was written in order to create a federal government with limited powers. Individual liberty was the goal, but he says the country has lost its way.

Dennis Linthicum: "The federal government has gorged itself on power and is wielding that power indiscriminately. And you see it in the EPA, you see it in the clean water. You see it in clean air. You see it in land use policies. All of those issues is where Greg Walden is falling short for the 2nd District."

Linthicum faults Walden for what he sees as a lack of principle in his voting record. On the issue of raising the nation's debt ceiling, for example, Linthicum points out that Walden has voted both for and against it. When asked about those votes, Walden had this to say...

Greg Walden: "Well remember, Mr. Linthicum believes that Social Security is unconstitutional, that Medicare is unconstitutional and that we should go back to a place and time where the legislatures picked our United State Senators and that seems to be a rather extreme view."

Walden says he's also a strong advocate of the Constitution, but he doesn't think this race is about constitutional theory.

Greg Walden: "For me it's how do you keep focused on how do you grow jobs in the economy so that people have a better standard of living? How do you improve the use of our natural resources so we don't have these catastrophic fires and actually produce jobs in our mills again, and again get back to a stronger economy? How do you help people solve problems?"

Nat Sound: "Good morning everybody thanks for showing up. I'm David Fairclo and I was asked to introduce Congressman Walden as if nobody knows who he is…"

Last month at VFW post 1643 in Bend, Walden heard from veterans. Many said they were having trouble navigating the federal bureaucracy. Walden says over the years, his staff has helped about 15 thousand people in the 2nd district with problems that range from denied medical claims to land use issues.

Greg Walden: "You learn a lot about the veterans' problems. You learn a lot about each watershed. You learn a lot of about healthcare in Enterprise versus Ashland. In fact, the voters have invested in you to go and get that knowledge and then learn the system in Washington and try and use that system to their advantage and the country's advantage."

When Republicans took control of the House, Walden assumed a position within the party leadership. Last year the House passed a bill he authored that would make more water available for the city of Prineville by freeing up water behind Bowman Dam. Walden says that legislation, which is now pending in the Senate, would promote economic growth at no cost to taxpayers.

Back in Prineville, at the Central Oregon Patriots' meeting, Dennis Linthicum says the fact that Walden authored a bill that applies only to his district is problematic.

Dennis Linthicum: "Because if we do it in Oregon, somebody will do it in Tennessee and somebody will do it in Texas and Montana and West Virginia. And as soon as we get that myopic world view we've split our nation into all of these subcategories and it's very difficult to get a unified national interest."

The winner of the Republican race will face one of three candidates in the general election. Democrat Aelea Christofferson is a Bend business woman and former board member of Cover Oregon. She resigned her seat in March five days after the Government Accountability Office announced it would investigate the troubled exchange. Her campaign has raised about $18,000.

Also running as Democrats are Frank Vulliet, a retired attorney and US Navy Officer and Barney Spera, a former Mayor and Councilman of Millbrae, California. Neither Vulliet nor Spera have reported raising any money in the race.

Copyright 2014 OPB.

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