OPB Politics Now

Central Oregon will be decisive in the state’s most competitive congressional race this year, but there’s a lot more political intrigue just east of the Cascades. On this week’s episode of OPB Politics Now, we check in on the most dramatic and notable races in Bend and beyond. Find the show wherever you get your podcasts.

On this special live episode, OPB's political team runs through the biggest items on Oregon and Southwest Washington ballots.

It has been a long time since Oregon voters have elected a Republican to a statewide office. But this election cycle, voters will pick a new secretary of state, attorney general and treasurer. Will voters finally choose a Republican to serve in the upper echelons of state government? We’ll discuss on the latest episode of OPB Politics Now. Reporters Lauren Dake, Conrad Wilson and Kyra Buckley analyze the races. Find the show wherever you get your podcasts.

Oregon is home to one of the nation’s most consequential Congressional races. OPB’s Bryce Dole took a deep dive – and drive – through the district in recent weeks where he visited the fire-ravaged Santiam Canyon, talked housing in Deschutes County and delved into the issues on the urban/rural divide in Clackamas County.  On the latest episode of OPB Politics Now we take a deeper dive into the 5th Congressional District and what voters say are their top issues. Find the show anywhere you get your podcasts.

In Oregon, we’ve been using vote-by-mail for more than 20 years without evidence of systemic fraud. So, it’s been easy for Democrats to dismiss conservatives who have been raising questions about the system. On the latest episode of OPB Politics Now, reporters Lauren Dake and Dirk VanderHart discuss the history of Oregon’s voting system and its various tweaks, the revelation that hundreds of people were automatically registered to vote who shouldn’t have been and what the political fallout may be. Find the show anywhere you get your podcasts.

Greg Walden has been a major feature of Oregon politics for decades. Now the former congressman has emerged as the most-influential figure in helping Republicans win back power in the state Capitol. 

On the latest episode of OPB Politics Now, reporters Dirk VanderHart and Alex Zielinski discuss the state of Republican fundraising in Oregon, Walden’s influence and much more. Find the show anywhere you get your podcasts.

Oregon’s experiment with decriminalization is over. On the latest episode of OPB Politics Now, reporters Dirk VanderHart and Conrad Wilson are joined by editor Michelle Wiley to discuss the new world beginning on September 1st and beyond. Subscribe to OPB Politics Now anywhere you get your podcasts – or watch it on YouTube – to get the latest episodes each Friday.

Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but two elected officials in Multnomah County had a public dispute in recent weeks over how to address homeless camping. This time the elected sheriff of the state’s most populous county was at loggerheads with Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, but now they appear to be on the same page. On this week’s episode of OPB Politics Now, reporters Alex Zielinski and Dirk VanderHart discuss the latest on the issue and what comes next. Find the show anywhere you get your podcasts.

Portland’s government makeover will fundamentally alter how things work inside City Hall. On the latest episode of OPB Politics Now, reporters Alex Zielinski and Dirk VanderHart go deep into how the City Council will introduce legislation, engage the public and much more. Find the show anywhere you get your podcasts

We're taking a break from the normal pod this week, but with good reason. OPB's Think Out Loud host Dave Miller recently sat down with Oregon Governor Tina Kotek for a lengthy discussion that touches on cell phones in schools, the controversy over first lady Aimee Kotek Wilson and lots more. We'll be back with a new episode next week.

On this week's show, reporters Lauren Dake, Troy Brynelson and Jeanie Lindsay discuss the big races in next week's Washington state primary.

On this week's show, OPB reporters Lauren Dake and Bryce Dole examine Democratic responses in Oregon to President Joe Biden's decision to exit the race.

Peter Courtney, the longest-serving state lawmaker in Oregon history, and arguably the most consequential one died this week. On this week’s OPB Politics Now, Lauren Dake and Dirk VanderHart talk about Courtney’s legacy and the influence he had over policies that now shape our state.

Oregon’s top transportation officials said they need billions of dollars to maintain the state’s roadways. Without it there will be more potholes, more traffic and worse driving conditions for everyone. On this week’s OPB Politics Now, we’ll dig into the politics and ask what it will take to make Portland great for bikes again. Find the show wherever you get your podcasts.

In April, United States Supreme Court Justices heard arguments in one of the most widely watched cases out of Oregon in recent memory. The question at the heart of Grants Pass v Johnson was whether cities can regulate where and when people can sleep outside, especially if there isn’t shelter space available. 

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals had held that the city’s ordinance was in violation of the basic principle established in Martin v. Boise from 2018: “A person cannot be prosecuted for involuntary conduct if it is an unavoidable consequence of one’s status.”

But on Friday the Supreme Court issued its ruling siding with Grants Pass, saying that it is not cruel or unusual punishment to penalize people from living outdoors even if they have nowhere else to go. 

We get reaction and analysis from Grants Pass Mayor Sara Bristol and Sara Rankin, associate professor at Seattle University School of Law and the director of the Homeless Rights Advocacy Project. 

 Oregon’s scenic beauty is one of its main draws and some rural communities are trying to bring tourists to their region with the promise of an elite mountain biking experience. But not everyone is thrilled. On the latest episode of OPB Politics Now we will look at the complex push and pull as some former timber communities try to reinvent themselves. Find the show anywhere you get your podcasts.

The two new leaders of Oregon’s Planned Parenthood affiliates are pushing to dissolve the political arm of their organization in a move that has blindsided some long-time advocates and has them worried about the future of reproductive rights in the state. On the latest episode of OPB Politics Now, Alex Zielinski and Lauren Dake discuss Planned Parenthood’s inner turmoil

Oregon has a long history of struggling to help kids in foster care and a high profile trial was supposed to put those struggles on center stage. But a settlement put that case on ice at the last minute. On the latest episode of OPB Politics Now, we’ll discuss what that settlement means plus we’ll dive into the latest shakeup in Salem leadership circles. Find the show anywhere you get your podcasts. 

Is progressivism on life support in Portland politics or was the Multnomah County District Attorney’s race an isolated event? On the latest episode of OPB Politics Now, reporters Dirk VanderHart, Alex Zielinski and Conrad Wilson discuss the DA’s race and what it may mean for Portland’s city council races this fall. Plus, how will Vasquez approach the job differently than Schmidt? Find the show wherever you get your podcasts.

Results are still trickling in from the May election but we know who won some key races. We know Earl Blumenauer’s successor. We know two Clackamas County politicians will have a third election battle and we now know Mike Schmidt’s political fate. On the latest episode of OPB Politics Now we break down all that and more. Find the show anywhere you get your podcasts.

Dark money is flooding into the race to replace longtime Congressman Earl Blumenauer in Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District. And the stakes are high in the 5th Congressional District where it could ultimately determine who holds power in Congress. On this week’s OPB Politics Now we’ll discuss two of the hottest Congressional races and give you what you need to know before next weeks’ primary election.

Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt sailed into office four years ago with what looked like a mandate from voters. Four years later he’s in a dogfight for his political life with one of his top deputies, Nathan Vasquez. On this week’s OPB Politics Now, we’ll walk you through Portland’s hottest race in the May 21 primary. Find the show wherever you get your podcasts.

Governor Tina Kotek apologized this week and said she would not create an office of the first spouse . But what does that actually mean, and did Kotek answer all the questions? On the latest episode of OPB Politics Now, we delve deep into that story and more.. Find the show anywhere you get your podcasts.

Should politics be a family affair? One Oregon community will put that issue to voters. I’m Lauren Dake. On the latest episode of OPB Politics Now we talk about a ballot proposal in Redmond plus how drug recriminalization may look in rural Oregon. We also address Gov. Kotek’s recent trip to Boardman to discuss nitrates. Find the show anywhere you get your podcasts.