Meet Oregon’s newest legislator, Sen. Rachel Armitage | EP 40

Rachel Armitage has officially been selected to finish the term of former State Senator Betsy Johnson, representing rural northwest Oregon. A Democrat, Armitage has deep experience in politics, including working as a legislative assistant for Rep. Susan McLain and former Rep. Carla Piluso. She also worked at the national level on the campaigns of Montana Senator Jon Tester and former North Carolina Senator Kay Hagan. Gowland grew up in Medford, and in this episode we talk about the past and future of the timber industry and whether Democrats can win in rural districts in 2022. We do a deep dive on the appointment process to fill legislative vacancies, including the peculiarities of this specific vacancy (Armitage was actually supporting one of her opponents). Finally, we talk about the perspective Armitage will bring as a millenial legislator and how to bridge generational divides in Oregon politics.