Sherwood man makes bid for U.S. Senate

With Ron Wyden up for re-election, Marc Delphine is hoping you’ll send a fresh face to Washington, D.C.

By Geoff Pursinger

The Times, Mar 4, 2010, Updated Mar 4, 2010

Marc Delphine believes that there’s something very wrong with America.

Thankfully, he’s got a plan.

The 32-year-old Sherwood resident announced Tuesday that he is running for the United States Senate, for the seat currently held by Democrat Ron Wyden, who is up for re-election for a third full term in November.

“Things are desperately wrong with direction of this country,” Delphine said. “That’s the one thing that most of us can agree on. I think that’s a major focus, the way that we’re going is not the way the people want to go.”

Delphine, who is openly gay and a registered Libertarian, announced his candidacy at a Salem press conference. Although running as an independent, Delphine said that he will seek the nomination from the Libertarian party. The Libertarian Party of Washington County endorsed his campaign at the end of February.

“What really bothers me is that people are so enveloped in the two-party system. It’s really a benefit for the two parties to say that someone can’t win unless they’re in one of the two parties. It’s like a business to them.”

That’s one of the things that Delphine hopes to change: The longstanding ways of doing business in Washington has got to go, he said.

“I like to say that I’m a younger, fresher voice for Oregon,” Delphine said. “We really need somebody who can embrace change, because things are definitely changing.”

Wyden, 60, has served as one of Oregon’s two senators since he was elected in 1996.

“The Founding Fathers meant for average, private citizens to become involved in politics,” Delphine wrote on his Web site. “Congress was not intended to be in the hands of professional politicians and lawyer-types.”

That’s part of what convinced Delphine to run for the Senate.

“I think that Ron Wyden has spent too much time in federal government,” Delphine said.

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