“You want to be an acceptable choice to everybody,” says Jake Weigler, one of the most accomplished political consultants in Portland. “If you can be in that Venn diagram, that’s a sweet spot to be in.”

Jake Weigler is an Oregon native who has worked in politics at the national, state, and local levels for over 22 years. Get an insider look at how political change happens, factors to consider before running for office, and the nature of working behind the scenes in politics. A must listen for any folks thinking about running for office or wanting to know how to get involved with the democratic process. His political consulting company, Praxis Political, supports candidates and issues throughout Oregon and Jake has been a part of the environmental movement as well as gun safety legislation for decades.

Republicans argue that after decades of Democrats controlling the state, they have nothing to show for it, particularly when it comes to systemic issues. And Democrats are left with a less punchy message: “Those policies take time and it’s an incremental improvement,” Jake Weigler, another Oregon-based Democratic strategist, said. “I think Oregon is like a lot of states where you have one major metropolitan area and then the rest of the state. And so there’s always a perception that Portland is trying to dominate the political future of the state, that kind of urban-rural divide.”