Oregon's senior U.S. Senator, Ron Wyden, has drawn his first democratic challenger in next year's election.
29-year-old Medford City Councilor Kevin Stine is running against Wyden. Stine told the Mail Tribune he saw a lot of waste in his nine years serving in the U.S. Navy and would try to tighten defense spending if elected. He is working toward a political science degree at Southern Oregon University.
Stine was elected to the Medford City Council last year. He says he sees himself as a progressive Democrat and doesn't agree with some of Senator Wyden's votes. Stine criticized the liquefied natural gas terminal pipeline proposed for Southern Oregon.
66-year-old Wyden has served in the U.S. Senate since 1996, after winning the seat in a special election to replace Bob Packwood.