Democratic Congresswoman Darlene Hooley represents one of the most highly contested seats in the nation. In 2000, her district went for George W. Bush by a 48.5-47.0 margin, and since then the Republicans have targeted her district as a possible pickup for 2004 (both Dennis Hastert and Dick Cheney have held fundraisers for her opponent in the race, Jim Zupancic). While current polling shows here with a 15 point lead, her support lags just under 50% of the electorate, a tenuous position for an incumbent. (For more on the race, click here).

A major new development occurred in the race this morning as the Salem Statesman Journal--the largest paper in her district and the second largest publication in Oregon--wholeheartedly endorsed Hooley in a move that could help the Congresswoman further distance herself from Zupancic. Under the headline "Oregon, nation need moderates such as Hooley", the paper's editorial board writes thusly:

In the past, the Statesman Journal editorial board and others have criticized Hooley for not being much of a national leader. On some issues, it turns out that Hooley has done more than lead; she’s been way ahead.

She was working against identity theft, credit fraud and the methamphetamine epidemic before those became national issues. While other politicians hogged the limelight over big-name causes, Hooley plugged away on issues that touch Americans’ daily lives. She pays attention to local concerns, such as assisting Oregon National Guard troops and their families, and helping Salem try to gain commercial airline service.

They continue:

She’s a moderate — her opponent in the Democratic primary criticized her as too Republican — and she builds coalitions to get things done.

Seniority means a lot in the 435-member House, and Hooley is working her way into higher-profile roles after eight years in the Capitol. That’s good. It’s past time for her to exert greater national leadership.

The editorial board then turns their focus to the Republican Zupancic.

In the Republican primary, he presented himself as the true conservative in nastily attacking Sen. Jackie Winters of Salem. For the general election, he’s portraying himself as more moderate.

Zupancic is bright, thoughtful and well-spoken. It’s too bad that he’s not running instead for the Oregon Legislature, where voters could judge his views and his leadership before promoting him to higher office. Although he campaigns hard, he can’t match Hooley’s commitment and service to the 5th District.

The most important point the board makes in the piece is the critical role Hooley plays in the national political discussion:

In this weird political climate where Republicans have dumped a balanced budget and enlarged the federal deficit, centrist Democrats such as Hooley may be the key to controlling the federal debt.

Darlene Hooley has been a great Congresswoman for the fifth district and Oregon as a whole, so it's a very good thing that the Statesman Journal has recognized this and decided to endorse her. If you want any more information on her or to give her some money (almost all of which she will spend to get out as many Democratic-leaning voters in this swing state), go to her website at Hooley.org.