The wild story of when Kate Brown and Peter Courtney ran against each other, with guest Rick Metsger | EP 88

Rick Metsger served for a decade in the Oregon State Senate before being nominated by President Barack Obama to serve on the board of the National Credit Union Administration. In this episode, we talk briefly about Rick's tenure as a State Senator and about the vetting process he went through before being appointed to his post in the Obama Administration. The bulk of the episode is Rick telling the wild story of the time when Kate Brown, then-Senate Democratic Leader, competed with then-Senator Peter Courtney for the position of Senate President. The caucus election had a significant, long-lasting impact on Oregon's political landscape for decades--including setting Kate Brown on the path to the governorship. Rick was a member of the Senate Democratic Caucus at the time of this election. He interviewed 15 former colleagues in the Senate (Democrats and Republicans) before writing an essay that reveals the behind-the-scenes dynamics that ultimately led to Peter Courtney's ascension to the Senate Presidency--a role he held for two decades. We also ask him about why he chose to reveal this story publicly today (including conversations in Caucus Meetings, which were considered confidential).