Lewis & Clark law professor Jim Huffman announces run against Ron Wyden

[depakid]

Source: The Oregonian

Jim Huffman, a Lewis & Clark law professor who has long been a prominent conservative commentator in the Portland area, formally announced his candidacy Thursday for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Ron Wyden. Huffman, 64, said widespread voter anger this year gives him a chance to mount the first strong challenge Wyden has faced since he was first elected to the Senate in 1996.

"We have to get ourselves funded well and make a good case," Huffman said in an interview before his evening announcement at Halton, a heavy equipment dealership in Northeast Portland. "But I don't think Sen. Wyden is the Teflon man as some have suggested that he is."

Huffman charged that Wyden, who was first elected to the U.S. House in 1980, has been in Congress for too long and is too closely tied to his party leadership. Among other things, he criticized Wyden for backing the federal stimulus bill and the sweeping health-care reform legislation that passed the Senate in December, and for opposing then-President Bush's tax cuts.

Huffman, who served as the law school's dean for 13 years until stepping down in 2006, has been a prolific writer and speaker for a wide variety of conservative groups and causes. He was a strong supporter of the property-rights movement that sought to ease the state's strict land-use controls, opposed the corporate and personal-income taxes approved by Oregon voters in January, and in 2005 backed allowing workers to divert some of their Social Security contributions into private investment accounts.

Read more: http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/03/lewis_clark_law_professor_jim.html

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This guy's more of a libertarian ideologue than the usual Republican nutter spouting off failed "free" market fundamentalism. Think Ron Paul with a law degree.

While he's affable enough on a personal level, he's got some rather obnoxious, often irrational views and isn't shy about sharing them:

Meet Jim Huffman: http://www.meetjimhuffman.com/

[stevedeshazer]

1. That guy will never beat Wyden.

Glad he's running. I was starting to believe the OR GOP wouldn't even bother to run a candidate.

[depakid]

2. Some of what he's got to say will explode teabagging heads

Outraged at those bonuses? Get over it

Huffman in 2007: No Need for Congress To Take On the Sub-Prime Mortgage Crisis – the Market Will Fix Itself.

(That'll play nice in Bend- and in Yachats).

[SoapBox]

3. ...call him like it is...Party of No member

[quakerboy]

4. I'm not seeing a big future on this one

Any other contenders?

[stevedeshazer]

5. Allen Alley...makes ya kind of miss Lon Mabon and Bill Sizemore.

At least they were interesting. Watching Allen Alley is like watching paint dry.

[MissB]

6. Isn't Sizemore running for guv? Or is he in prison?

I have such a hard time keeping track!

[quakerboy]

7. Is anyone planning to run a primary from the middle or left?

I havn't heard of any yet.