OPB Politics Now

For Oregon’s political world, the question heading into next week’s midterm is how much power Democrats will cling to. 

Education is top of mind for Oregon voters. What to do about the state’s struggling schools remains up for debate. On the latest episode of OPB Politics Now, we took the show on the road for another live taping, this time in Corvallis on the campus of Oregon State University.

It’s only fitting since we were on a beautiful college campus that we took a deep dive into the nuts and bolts of Oregon's education system and outlined just how it came to pass that the Beaver State is one of the worst performing in the nation when it comes to education. OPB education reporter Elizabeth Miller explained it all for us.

Plus, we dove into just how the top candidates for governor are viewing this crisis. Miller and OPB politics reporters Dirk VanderHart and Lauren Dake discussed education and the governor’s race.

Two OSU student journalists also joined the program – Jenna Benson and Marina Kandas – and shared their insights from their work at the Daily Barometer.

We started the show with our friend Rebecca Hansen White from KLCC in Eugene.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and Republican state Sen. Christine Drazan sat down with OPB for separate interviews in recent days. What did they have to say about the major issues? This week on OPB Politics Now, we are dropping those interviews as full episodes. We talked about her record as governor, what she would do in a second term and much more. You can listen anywhere you get your podcasts.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and Republican state Sen. Christine Drazan sat down with OPB for separate interviews in recent days. What did they have to say about the major issues? This week on OPB Politics Now, we are dropping those interviews as full episodes. We talked about education issues, vote by mail, abortion and more. You can listen anywhere you get your podcasts.

 Data centers. Taxes. Law enforcement and accountability. Those are some of the top issues this election cycle for voters east of the Cascade mountains. On the latest episode of OPB Politics Now, regional reporters Monica Carrillo-Casas, Antonio Sierra and Jen Baires chat with politics reporter Bryce Dole about their beats. With less than a month until Election Day, we discussed what those reporters are hearing in their communities and explored what’s defining this political moment.

Ballots are going out in a couple weeks. Campaigns are ramping up. Tensions are rising. On the latest episode of OPB Politics Now, we hosted a live taping from the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Beaverton.  We dove deep into the Oregon governor’s race with reporters Dirk VanderHart and Lauren Dake. Is this the year that Republicans break through and win the governor’s office for the first time since 1982? Or will this be more of the same as the past few races, where it really won’t be that close after all. We discussed.

The nation’s political eyes are once again trained on a key House race in Southwest Washington - where a moderate Democrat is hoping to hold her seat - this time facing a more conventional politician than in her past two races. Southwest Washington reporter Elena Neale-Sacks broke down that race for us.

But we began our conversation with a deep dive into Washington County politics. We talked about ICE, data centers, democratic socialists, bird watching of a certain kind and much more with OPB suburban communities reporter Holly Bartholomew and OPB politics reporter Bryce Dole. Find the show anywhere you get your podcasts, and join us in Corvallis Oct. 20th for a second live taping of the podcast. We will be on the campus of Oregon State University at the Prax Center. Find more details at OPB.org/events. (edited) 

On the latest episode of OPB Politics Now, reporters Bryce Dole and Alex Zielinski talk about the upcoming Portland election and how it differs from the 2024 election. Find the show anywhere you get your podcasts.

The election is less than seven weeks away, and prognosticators across the nation are expecting a strong night for Democrats. It’s not clear what that might mean for Oregon, as incumbent Gov. Tina Kotek is facing headwinds in her reelection bid. But past Oregon Democrats in the same seat saw tight polls late in the race fade away as they sailed through to election night victories. Will it be the same for Kotek, or will state Sen. Christine Drazan break the Republican drought in Salem? We discuss.

For quite some time, Gov. Tina Kotek and state Sen. Christine Drazan didn't seem to have a very strong -- or clear -- stance on how they felt about data centers in Oregon. That changed this week. Within hours of each other, they both announced they support a data center moratorium; tapping into a debate playing out across Oregon and the nation. On the latest episode of OPB Politics Now, reporters Lauren Dake and Dirk VanderHart break it all down. Find the show anywhere you get your podcasts.

 We are exactly two months away from election day. And there is a lot of confusion on the electoral landscape. On this week’s episode of OPB Politics Now, reporters Dirk VanderHart and Lauren Daketalk about all the uncertainty surrounding vote by mail, what state leaders and politicians are saying and much more. Find the show wherever you get your podcasts.