CQ Risk Rating: Safe Republican 
| GENERAL ELECTION: NOVEMBER 7, 2000 |
|
| Greg Walden (R) | 220,086 | 74% |
| Walter A. Ponsford (D) | 78,101 | 26% |
| write-in | 720 | 0% |
| PRIMARY ELECTION: MAY 16, 2000 |
|
| | Votes | Percentage | | Democratic |
| Walter A. Ponsford | 46,145 | 97% |
| write-ins | 1,478 | 3% |
| | Republican |
| Greg Walden | 79,985 | 99% |
| write-ins | 506 | 1% |
Source: Congressional Quarterly. To suggest updates and corrections: politics.feedback@cq.com
Major Industry | Population | Cities | People | Race | Median Household Income | Unusual Features
OREGON 2
:
East and Southwest - Medford; Bend
Oregon's 2nd covers two-thirds of the state, bordering Washington,
Idaho, Nevada and California. About 60 percent of that land is owned by the
federal government, causing considerable strife with the district's
residents, who depend on fishing, farming and logging to make a living.
The 2nd lost timber jobs when the spotted owl was deemed an endangered
species and its Oregon forest habitat protected from clear-cutting. Those
jobs have been difficult to replace in a district with few urban areas.
Farmers produce fruit, wheat and hay in the district's plateaus and river
valleys, but cattle farmers have seen their access to public grazing lands
limited. During the 1980s, economic pains drove enough people from the
district that it declined in population, but numbers rebounded in the 1990s
as retired couples moved to the area.
Hostility toward the federal government makes the 2nd Oregon's most
reliably Republican district, voting for the Republican presidential
candidate in 1992 and '96. Democrats are scattered through parts of Ashland
and Bend, but they are too few to swing the district.
Major Industry
Agriculture, forestry, tourism
Population
568,437 (1990)
Cities
Medford, 56,067; Bend, 31,733 (1996); Altamont (unincorporated), 18,591
(1990)
People
12% urban, 50% rural; 16% age 65+ (ranks first of five in state; top third
nationally); 61% married couples, 26% married couples with children; 15%
college educated (ranks fifth of five in state; bottom third nationally);
48% white collar (ranks fifth of five in state; bottom third nationally),
29% blue collar (ranks second of five in state; middle third nationally)
(1990)
Race
94% white, 0% black, 1% Asian; 5% Hispanic origin (1990)
Median Household Income
$23,949 (ranks fifth of five in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)
Unusual Features
Crater Lake National Park; Warm Springs Indian Reservation.
Source: Congressional Quarterly (Updated April 1999)
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District 2
