U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River, is clearly the best choice among Republicans running in the primary race for Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District. Vote for Walden in the Republican primary for Congress.

Walden, 61, was born in The Dalles, attended Hood River Valley High School and graduated from the University of Oregon journalism school. He ran a pair of Hood River radio stations, which he and his wife, Mylene, purchased from his father. The stations were sold in 2007.

Walden makes no bones about his political background. His father served three terms in the Oregon House of Representatives, and the younger Walden went to work for then-Congressman Denny Smith when he finished college. He spent seven years in the Oregon House of Representatives and two in the state Senate before he first ran for Congress in 1998.

Walden’s Republican opponents are Paul Romero of Prineville and Randy Pollock of Grants Pass. Romero currently works as an appliance repairman, while Pollock is a trucker. Pollock has made several unsuccessful runs for public office in the past; Romero ran unsuccessfully in the 2016 primary.

Walden believes he must remain engaged with the powers that be in Washington if he hopes to accomplish anything for his district, and it’s a posture that has served southern and eastern Oregonians well. He was one of the drivers behind the original Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003. He has continued to work to separate extraordinary firefighting costs from agencies’ annual budgets, something that occurred in the 2018 spending bill.

Much of what members of Congress do has less to do with legislation and more to do with those who elect them. Walden’s record on constituent services is a good one, helping residents of the 2nd District navigate bureaucracies ranging from the Social Security Administration to the Bureau of Land Management. He also is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which currently is dealing with bills addressing the opioid epidemic, both here in Oregon and nationwide.

Walden has served rural Oregon well in Washington, and he wants to continue to do so. Republicans should vote for him in the May primary election.