In the wake of Gov. Brown commuting the sentence of many death-row inmates, we brought on Xander Almeda to talk about her decision and about the death penalty in general.

The Death Penalty

Stephen Lloyd is the chair of the Young Republicans of Oregon, former chair of the Multnomah County Republican Party, and nearly 10-year veteran of the oil & gas industry. In this episode we talk with Stephen about fracking, nuclear, and the environmental impact of energy extraction.

Fracking and alternative energy

Ben West is the recently elected Clackamas County Commissioner. He currently serves as a city councilor for the city of Wilsonville and was the rising-star award recipient at Dorchester 2022.

Ben West, Clackamas County Commissioner elect

James and Nick welcome back Alex McHaddad, treasurer of the Oregon GOP and friend of the pod to talk about the November 2022 election and how it went for Republicans. Disappointed with the Governor's race? We are too, but there is reason to be optimistic about Oregon voters' choices in this past election.

November 2022 Election Post Mortem

Jason Fields, the Republican candidate for House District 26 is our favorite kind of candidate to have on this podcast: moderate, thoughtful, and decisive. Some might call him a "rational" Republican (cue rimshot). Nick couldn't make it this time, so pretend he made a couple TV references and you should be good to go.

Jason Fields for HD26

George Carrillo is a former candidate for Governor in Oregon who has publicly endorsed Republican Christine Drazan. We talk about why he made that decision as well as some inside baseball from a long-time Executive Branch employee.

George Carrillo - Former Democratic Candidate for Governor

James and Nick welcome former Representative and former Deputy Secretary of State Rich Vial to talk about his run for Senate District 18 as a non-affiliated candidate. We also talk Betsy Johnson and how to mend the political divide in Oregon.

Rich Vial for SD18

Jeff Heflrich joins James and Nick as the Republican candidate for State House district 52. Jeff is a Veteran, former police officer, and held this seat from 2017-2019.

Jeff Helfrich for HD52

James and Nick welcome Tim LeMaster, a fellow Veteran who is running for House District 43. Tim is passionate about making his community better and helping those in his district.

Tim LeMaster, Candidate for HD43

James and Nick talk about the fallout from Dobbs v. Jackson which overturned Roe v. Wade.

Dobbs v. Jackson

James and Nick welcome Kori Haynes who is the Republican candidate for HD39 and her guest Courtneigh Swerzbin to talk about the the race and what's going on in our public schools. Bonus: what do David Duke and PPS have in common? Skip to the 41 minute mark for the answer.

Kori Haynes for HD39

CAPT Wooldridge is a 27-year Navy Veteran who commanded the Blue Angels on three separate occasions. He is currently a prolific public speaker and in 2018 made an attempt at running for Governor of Oregon.

CAPT Greg Wooldridge

James and Nick dig deep into the election results from the May 2022 Primary election. Political nerds welcome!

May 2022 Primary Post-Mortem

Cheri Helt is a small business owner and former State Legislator who is running for the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) which is probably the least-known statewide elected office, but as with any office, the position has a meaningful impact on our lives.

Cheri Helt, candidate for BOLI

Judge Day is former Chairman of the Oregon Republican Party, and is running for Appellate Court. This is the first time in many years where an incumbent Judge has a credible challenger, so we were excited to talk with Judge Day to hear about it first hand.

Vance Day, Candidate for Appellate Court

James and Nick welcome Lyndon Kerns, delegate from the Klamath County Republicans and whose family has been farming the Klamath basin for over 100 years. Learn more about the community's struggles at https://www.farmwater.org/food-security-and-water/

Water Use

James and Nick welcome Alex McHaddad, former Chair of the Union County GOP. Alex is also the treasurer for the Oregon Young Republicans and candidate for ORP Treasurer.

Alex McHaddad former Chair of the Union County GOP

No Nick this time, but James was able to sit down with Betty Campbell to talk about Xpose Hope, a local charity that helps women get out of the sex industry. One of my (James) favorite episodes in a while.

Betty Campbell, Executive Director of Xpose Hope

James and Nick welcome Aeric Estep who is running for State Representative in House District 37. Interestingly, James and Aeric knew each other in college back... 15 years ago. Tune in for a great conversation.

Aeric Estep, Candidate for HD37

James and Nick welcome Patrick Sheehan who served in the Legislature from 2011 to 2013 in the famous 30-30 "split" house. Patrick was succeeded by now Secretary of State Shemia Fagan. If only we had known...

The Rational Republican

The Rational Republican

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