Program date: Sept. 9, 2022
Air date: Sept. 12, 2022
From The City Club of Eugene:
Former Oregon senator and political commentator Rick Metsger will elucidate the scenarios developing in 2022, as Oregon voters get ready to choose a new governor, repopulate the Oregon legislature, and fill three Congressional seats.
For the first time in 90 years a gubernatorial candidate who is not a member of one of the two dominant parties will be on the general election ballot. Democratic Party candidate Tina Kotek and Republican Party candidate Christine Drazan will be mixing it up with Betsy Johnson, an unaffiliated candidate who appears on the ballot by virtue of having collected tens of thousands of voter signatures. A governor’s race with three candidates coupled with the addition of a sixth Oregon Congressional seat makes this election season especially interesting.
According to Secretary of State Elections Department records, voter registration in Oregon as of August 2022 shows Democratic Party and unaffiliated voters number a bit more than a million each. About 730,000 voters are registered Republicans, and about 60,000 are members of minority parties or no party.
In this program Rick Metsger, writer, political commentator, humorist, and former Oregon state senator, will offer the latest information on important races and political trends. Rick will enlighten and educate those of us who are fascinated with Oregon politics and engage those who may not yet realize the importance of our voting decisions. His humor and depth of experience makes politics and civic engagement accessible, entertaining, and relevant for all Oregonians.
Speaker:
Rick Metsger has been around Oregon political circles for almost three decades, sometimes as a sausage maker and sometimes as a taste tester. He served in the Oregon Senate from 1999-2011, finishing his legislative career as Senate President-Pro Tem. In 2013 President Obama nominated him to lead the National Credit Union Administration, where he served until 2019. Prior to his legislative career, he worked for sixteen years as a news reporter and anchor at KOIN-TV in Portland. He has also penned articles for The Oregonian. He now serves as Director of Legislative and Public Affairs at Pac/West Lobby Group in Salem. In that role, he writes about behind-the-scenes developments in Oregon politics in The Political Center newsletter that is widely read by legislators, lobbyists, and the political news media.
About the City Club of Eugene:
The mission of the City Club of Eugene is to build community vision through open inquiry. The Club explores a wide range of significant local, state, and national issues and helps to formulate new approaches and solutions to problems. Membership is open to all, and Club members have a direct influence on public policy by discussing issues of concern with elected officials and other policy makers. The City Club’s mailing address is PO Box 12084, Eugene, OR 97440, and its website is cityclubofeugene.org.
Video and Broadcast
This program will be live streamed, and the videotape will be made available on the City Club of Eugene’s Facebook page and You Tube Channel, in addition to our website. It will be broadcast on Monday, Sept. 12, at 7:00 pm, on KLCC 89.7 FM.
Contact: For more information, contact Silver A. Mogart, City Club of Eugene, Executive Director, (541) 485-7433, administrator@cityclubofeugene.org