KGW’s Straight Talk

By Tim Gordon/KGWNews Politics

KGW’s Straight Talk episodes

December 06, 2024 Democrat Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez talks on winning reelection in Trump-won district
Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, the incumbent, narrowly beat Republican Joe Kent for Washington House District 3 in the November 2024 election.
25 min
November 26, 2024 Sen. Wyden talks President-elect Trump’s cabinet picks, tariff plans
Senator Ron Wyden gives his stance on President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks so far and discusses how the proposed tariffs would affect Oregonians.
25 min
November 22, 2024 Mayor-elect Keith Wilson outlines his plans for Portland
Portland is a little over a month away from a major political reset. A whole new form of government will debut in January, with an expanded 12-member council, a city administrator redefined role for the city's mayor. The first person to take on the updated top job is Mayor-elect Keith Wilson, who was a guest on this week's episode of Straight Talk.
Wilson's victory in the Nov. 5 election marks the first time since Mayor Bud Clark in 1984 that Portland voters have chosen a mayoral candidate with only a business background and no political experience. During his campaign — initially seen as a longshot bid — Wilson cast his outsider status as an asset, saying it would allow him to bring a fresh perspective.
Wilson grew up in North Portland and attended Oregon State, then got his master's degree in business administration from the University of Portland. He's the CEO of Portland-based Titan Freight Systems, which he touts as the state's only trucking company so far to have completely ditched fossil fuels.
25 min
November 09, 2024 Election ushers in new era for Portland and Multnomah County
A tentative picture of Portland's next city council formed quickly on election night, but while the roster of leading candidates hasn't changed in the days since, it also hasn't solidified. There are still only two projected winners as of late Friday afternoon, according to The Oregonian: Steve Novick in District 3 and Olivia Clark in District 4. Ten council seats remain up in the air.
Ten other candidates have managed to hold on to their election night leads, but the races remain too close to call as of Friday evening. Three of the leading candidates were guests on KGW's Straight Talk on Friday: Candace Avalos in District 1, Dan Ryan in District 2 and Tiffany Koyama Lane in District 3. None of them have had the races called in their favor yet, but all three have maintained leads through the week that leave them well-positioned to eventually win.
They were also joined by Shannon Singleton, who is projected to win the race for Multnomah County's District 2 commission seat.
25 min
November 02, 2024 Election 2024 latest: Political analysts breakdown what to expect for hot races
Two political analysts from both the Republican and Democratic party join on this episode of Straight Talk to breakdown what to expect Election Day.
25 min
October 25, 2024 Oregon's 5th congressional district race among closest watched in US
Two years ago, Oregon's congressional districts were redrawn, and former Happy Valley Mayor Lori Chavez-Deremer flipped the 5th district seat, which had been held by Democrats since 1997, for Republicans. Now she's trying to hold onto that seat, while Democrats are hoping Oregon state representative Janelle Bynum can flip it back.
25 min
October 11, 2024 The race for Oregon attorney general heats up
One of the most competitive races in the upcoming November election is the open seat for Oregon attorney general.
25 min
October 04, 2024 Homelessness, camping ban top concern in Multnomah commission race
Former Portland Mayor Sam Adams and Shannon Singleton are locked in battle for Multnomah County commissioner in District 2, covering North and Northeast Portland.
25 min
September 27, 2024 Portland mayoral candidates Rene Gonzalez and Carmen Rubio make final pushes as election nears
The 2024 election is now a little more than a month away, and the candidates in Portland's mayoral race are entering the final stretch ahead of what will likely be the city's biggest-ever election in terms of the number of seats on the ballot.
The winners will be the first to hold office under Portland's new form of government, with the new mayor in particular likely to play an outsize role in setting the tone for how the new system will function. Mayoral candidates and current city commissioners Rene Gonzalez and Carmen Rubio were guests on this week's episode of Straight Talk.
25 min
September 20, 2024 Outsiders Keith Wilson and Liv Østhus discuss their campaigns for Portland mayor
The winner of Portland's November 2024 mayoral election will become the first mayor under the city's new system of government in 2025, working with a professional city administrator to manage the city's executive functions and implement policy at the direction of a new 12-member city council.
The race includes three of the four current city commissioners: Carmen Rubio, Rene Gonzalez and Mingus Mapps. But it includes several other candidates who aren't part of the current city leadership, and two of the most prominent among that group are Keith Wilson and Liv Østhus.
Both candidates were guests on this week's episode of Straight Talk to discuss their campaigns, their vision for Portland and how they would approach the job under the new system of government. Neither candidate has held elected office before, but both say they view their outsider status as an asset in a race.
25 min

About KGW’s Straight Talk

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Straight Talk is a weekly program that takes a deeper look into the topics and conversations that are affecting communities in Oregon and SW Washington. KGW's Tim Gordon leads insightful interviews…