Ron Wyden

* In your article about Ron Wyden’s senatorial win in Oregon (Feb. 1), you quote Republican National Committee Chairman Haley Barbour as claiming the closeness of the election was a testament to “the strength of the conservative ideas [Gordon Smith] espoused.” This statement does not square with the facts: Oregon hadn’t elected a Democratic senator in nearly 30 years; Smith, a millionaire businessman, outspent Wyden 2 to 1. One could say that for Wyden to even come close, much less win, was instead a testament to the strength of his environmental arguments.

SID DUTCHER

Huntington Beach

* The analysis of the Wyden win which gives credit to the environmental movement did not take into account the most significant fact in this election. It was women who made the difference, and they voted on issues that Wyden focused on in his “victory speech” when he said, “Oregon has said no to gutting Medicaid, Oregon has said no to gutting environmental protection, and Oregon has said we are not going to turn back the clock on a woman’s right to choose.”

While the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters, organized labor and abortion rights activists waged an effective campaign on behalf of Wyden, it was the majority vote of women that won the election for him.

FRANKIE HALLER

Bellflower