By almost any measure, U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River, has served Oregon’s sprawling second congressional district well. He’s done that by working tirelessly for the interests of the district and by being willing to cross party lines to advance those interests.

He is most visible where natural resources are concerned. Walden and Democratic congressmen Kurt Schrader, D-Canby, and Peter DeFazio, D-Springfield, have worked to bring relief to Oregon’s nearly bankrupt Oregon & California Railroad Grant land counties, three of which lie within Walden’s district. He was co-author of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act and is pushing for approval of a package of amendments to the original.

Walden continues to work to take Bowman Dam in Crook County out of the Crooked River’s wild and scenic designation and make changes to the way the water behind it is allocated. Like the O&C measure, the bill has passed the House, though the Senate has so far failed to approve its own version.

Too, he has worked to improve health care and housing options for his district’s veterans and to establish forest collaboratives that have helped create solutions to local forest problems that local residents and environmental groups can live with.

His chief opponent, Democrat Aelea Christofferson, 61, of Bend, is well-versed where the Affordable Care Act is concerned. She resigned from the board of directors of Cover Oregon to run for her party’s nomination this spring. Previously, she served on a health care policy advisory committee and on the board that created the state’s health insurance exchange.

Unfortunately, she’s less well-informed about other issues. While she agrees generally with Walden on forestry issues, for example, she offers few specifics. Too, her support of driver cards for undocumented aliens is unlikely to be shared by most of the district’s voters.

A third candidate, Sharon Durbin, who will be 65 in October, represents the Libertarian Party. She is spending no money on her campaign and says she is running to give voters a broader choice.

Walden, a 57-year-old native Oregonian, fits his district far better than his opponents. He has worked hard for this region, and there’s no reason to believe that would change. He is an effective representative who should be returned to office.