PORTLAND, Ore. — With Oregon's primary election right around the corner, two political analysists sat down with Straight Talk's Laural Porter to break down which races in this year's election are worth keeping an eye on.
Here are some of the races to watch, according to Rebecca Tweed, a Republican strategist, and Annie Ellison, a Democratic analyst.
- Oregon's Congressional District 3 Democratic primary between Susheela Jayapal, Maxine Dexter and Eddy Morales
- Oregon's Congressional District 5 Democratic primary between Jamie McLeod-Skinner and Janelle Bynum
- Multnomah County Commission
- Multnomah County District Attorney race between District Attorney Mike Schmidt and Senior Deputy District Attorney Nathan Vasquez
Tweed is the president of Tweed Strategies, a political consulting firm. She has worked on over 70 political campaigns for local government, Legislative and statewide candidates, plus county and statewide ballot measures.
"Because the down-ballot races are driving things," Tweed said. "I think we see a big opportunity for a shift in Oregon at city council, at county commission races, which have some of the most competitive campaigns. Then, of course, in the Portland region — some really serious significant change, a very competitive DA race, congressional seats changing for the first time in over 30 years. I mean, there's a lot of energy."
Ellison is the executive director for Emerge Oregon, a political network aimed at inspiring women to run for all levels of political offices. She has worked on campaigns for progressive Democrats from city council to statewide office and Congress.
"I think it's an exciting time for women running down the ballot, so it's an exciting time for all of us," Ellison said.
Andrew Hoan, the president and CEO of Portland Metro Chamber, also joined this week's episode of "Straight Talk" to discuss how Oregon's primary election results could affect the Portland metro area.
Here are some of the key questions discussed in this week's episode:
- What are Oregon voters caring about now compared to four years ago and why it matters?
- How did a couple of early retirements set of a change of events in Oregon's primary election?
- What are some of the toughest races in this year's Oregon primary election?
"Straight Talk" airs Saturday and Sunday at 6:30 p.m., and Monday at 7 p.m. "Straight Talk" is also available as a podcast.