Phil Keisling on Tom McCall, Vera Katz, and vote-by-mail | EP 132

Former legislator and Secretary of State Phil Keisling has had a truly remarkable career in Oregon politics. Prior to his own tenure in elected office, he worked on the campaign of Gov. Tom McCall (McCall's third and only unsuccessful attempt) and for then-Speaker Vera Katz. Elected to the legislature in 1988 after a career in journalism, Gov. Barbara Roberts appointed him as a freshman legislator to assume the office of Secretary of State (it is an incredible story, involving Phil arriving an hour and a half late for his interview with the Governor). He was subsequently elected to two full terms.  In this episode, we talk about Phil's career, the changing nature of Oregon politics (with an emphasis on policy over administration), the true story of how Oregon launched vote-by-mail (and the strange bedfellows who made it happen), and why attempts to open Oregon's primaries have failed.