Oregon's Senior Senator, Democrat Ron Wyden, fresh off of an easy reelection victory in which he raised some $4.8 million (nothing to scoff at in this relatively small state), has been tapped by Chuck Schumer to be a deputy at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. The Salem Statesman Journal's Ellyn Ferguson has the story:

Democratic leaders tapped Sen. Ron Wyden and four colleagues Thursday to help recruit candidates and raise money for the 2006 Senate elections.

The five will aid Sen. Chuck Schumer, new chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, in party efforts to try to win back control of the Senate from Republicans who hold the majority with 55 seats to the 44 held by Democrats. There is one independent, Jim Jeffords of Vermont.

[...]

"Unlike other years at the DSCC, we are not going to have a traditional chair, vice chair organization. Instead we have divided the demanding job of vice chair into five regional vice chairs capitalizing on their regional political and fund-raising bases," said Schumer, D-N.Y.

Wyden's responsibilities will include all Western states, save for California (watch Washington and Montana for particularly good races). The other four Senators are:

• Barbara Boxer (D-CA): California (a possible tough race, but certainly an expensive one)
  
• Barack Obama (D-IL): The Midwest (Watch Missouri and possibly North Dakota)
  
• Jack Reed (D-RI): The Northeast (Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Maine might all see the Democrats on the offensive)
  
• Mark Pryor (D-AR): The South (Florida will be hotly contested, and other Southern states might join the fray)

2006 most likely won't afford the Democrats an opportunity to win back the Senate. The Dems best chances at regaining control of the chamber are in four years as the class of 2002 is particularly weak for the GOP.