PODCAST · society
The Schmidt Show PDX
by Mike Schmidt
The Schmidt Show PDX covers positive local news and happenings in and around Portland, Oregon. The podcast is hosted by former Multnomah DA, Mike Schmidt. www.schmidtshowpdx.com
Episodes
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Pull Up a Chair
On November 3, Multnomah County picks a new chair, and for the first time we’re doing it with ranked choice voting. The chair runs a roughly $4 billion government that handles the “people stuff”: homeless services, mental health and addiction care, jails, the health department, libraries, even…
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SOS: Drop it like it’s Hot 🗳️
We’re less than a month from Election Day, and the headlines are worrying. The president is attacking vote-by-mail. The DOJ is threatening election officials. People are talking about ICE at drop boxes, and some Oregon ballots are likely to be rejected because the mail is too slow. So I went...
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CEI Hub-Bub
The next time you fill up your car or board a plane at PDX, ask yourself where that fuel came from. For about 90% of Oregon, the answer is a six-mile stretch of Northwest Portland along the Willamette, tucked below Forest Park: the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub. Hundreds of storage tanks…
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Chairing Is Caring
Election Day is less than seven weeks away, and one of the most consequential races on your ballot is for a job most Portlanders couldn’t describe: Multnomah County Chair. The incumbent isn’t running again, so no matter who wins, the county is getting a new leader and a new direction. To help…
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Lane Change
SchmidtShow PDX — Season 3, Episode 9 Before she was a city councilor, she was Teacher Tiffany — sixteen years in Portland Public Schools, a union leader, a fourth-generation Japanese American, and the first Asian American woman ever elected to Portland city government. This week, Councilor…
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Write the Wrong
It’s back to school season, which means it’s also back to the annual drama over Portland Public Schools — superintendent contracts, building closures, classroom consolidations. But this week, Mike zooms out to the bigger issue hiding underneath all of it: Oregon currently ranks 50th in the nation...
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Merkley Smash
U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley joins Mike for a wide-ranging conversation on the state of the Senate, institutional trust, and what comes next — plus the debut of a new segment, “In the News,” with first-ever Schmidt Show correspondent Elinor Jones! In the News with Elinor JonesA look back at three...
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A Natural 20
Mike sits down with sitting Oregon Supreme Court Justice Bronson James — public defender and private practice lawyer turned Circuit Court, Court of Appeals, and now the state’s highest bench — for a rare, wide-ranging conversation with a sitting Justice. They start with comic-book tattoos and an...
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We Like to Party
Guest: Annie Naranjo Rivera, State Director, Oregon Working Families Party Episode Summary 44% of registered Oregon voters — 1.4 million people — aren’t registered with either major party. This spring, the Working Families Party (WFP) went on a run in Democratic primaries, unseating a sitting…
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Prosperity Redux
Season 3 kicked off a month early with a conversation about the Oregon Prosperity Council’s report — the roadmap Governor Kotek commissioned to answer the question of what makes Oregon “prosperous.” Episode one featured Curtis Robinhold, one of the Council’s co-chairs, making the case for...
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The Peace Bell of Portland
Episode Description One guest, one through-line, a lot of ground to cover. Mike sits down with Pastor Mark Knutson of Augustana Lutheran Church — a Portland native who’s spent his lifetime as an activist and more recently at the center of the city’s fights over gun safety, police accountability,...
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The Reluctant President
SchmidtShow PDX, Season 3, Episode 2 This week I sat down with Portland City Council President Jamie Dunphy — the “compromise president” who emerged after 13 deadlocked votes — to talk about running a fractured council, the real math behind the Moda Center deal, and what Portland might learn from...
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You Shall Not Stagnate!
SchmidtShow PDX — Season 3, Episode 1: Mike sits down with Curtis Robinhold to unpack the Oregon Prosperity Council’s just-released report: 66 listening sessions, 25 communities, 400+ pages, and a mandate to figure out why Oregon’s business climate isn’t competitive — and what to do about it.…
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In The News...Moda Center
Tonight I read Shane Dixon Kavanaugh’s piece titled “Portland mayor lambasts critics of Moda Center deal as county questions investment”. Worth the read - but here’s a quick synopsis: Mayor Wilson sent out a letter doubling down on the city’s $120 million pledge and going after the councilors and...
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Season 2 Finale: The Rebuttal
Earlier this season, Portland Metro Chamber Executive Vice President of Public Affairs Jon Isaacs sat across from Mike and made his case: the DSA is bad for Portland, bad for business, and bad for the social programs progressives claim to care about. It was the most downloaded episode in Schmidt...
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Certified Organic Journalism
What if clean information is as essential to democracy as clean air is to public health? That’s the question at the center of this episode — and it’s one that today’s guest has been thinking about longer than most. Ryan Haas spent more than 20 years in journalism, including 12 years at Oregon...
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Hit Record
Show Notes This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.schmidtshowpdx.com/subscribe
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For the Campesinos
The Schmidt Show PDX | Season 2, Episode 14 Some fights you don’t choose. They choose you. On March 19th, 2026, a New York Times investigation alleged that Cesar Chavez had sexually abused girls in the farm worker movement and assaulted Dolores Huerta, his own partner in the struggle. For...
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Cheap Seats
Portland has a new billionaire in the building — and he brought a $600 million ask with him. Tom Dundon closed his purchase of the Trail Blazers just weeks ago, and the early headlines haven’t been about basketball. They’ve been about cost-cutting, lobbying campaigns, and a demand to commit north...
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Metro Chamber of (no) Secrets
In This Episode Buckle up - this is a conversation that will have you cheering, jeering or both! Portland is at an inflection point — economically, politically, and on the streets. This week on SchmidtShow PDX, we talk to two guests with very different vantage points on the city’s challenges: a...
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Audit This
Audit This Have you been hearing claims that Portland is the most taxed city in the country?! We talk taxes with Marina Kaminsky from the North Star Civic foundation to try to get to the bottom of this complicated issue. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other…
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Bench Pressed
A NOTE About this episode: When it was originally taped Peter Klym was not a candidate running against Adrian Brown. A different candidate had filed, but then subsequently withdrew. When this episode was taped there was a reference to the candidate that subsequently withdrew - not Peter Klym.…
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Substance Over Vibes
Substance Over Vibes What happens when you strip away the noise, ignore the scare tactics, and just focus on the work? That's what this episode is about. We sat down with two elected officials who are both doing real things for real people — and both navigating campaigns where opponents would...
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Under Threat
Under Threat: Portland's Environmental Gems Fight Back This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.schmidtshowpdx.com/subscribe
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What Do You Get When You Cross a Panther With A Frog?
S02E07 - Portland Gray Panthers & Ribbit Wrangler This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.schmidtshowpdx.com/subscribe
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Ties, Taxes and Treatment
Mike interviews Rob Nosse. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.schmidtshowpdx.com/subscribe
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Happy New Year?
Season 2, Episode 5 - Happy New Year? Portland Vibe Check with Author Donovan Scribes Episode snapshot Portland doesn’t just debate policy—we debate reality. Journalist Donovan Scribes joins me to break down his “Top 10 Takeaways” from a chaotic 2025, and we talk about how vibes (and media...
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From the Capitol to the Club
Season 2, Episode 4 - Guest Co-Host: Jennifer Williamson • Interview Guest: MAC Smiff (Thesis PDX) In this episode, Mike is joined by guest co-host Jennifer Williamson, attorney, former Oregon House Majority Leader, and co-founder of Swift Public Affairs, for a wide-ranging conversation on law,...
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A Double Scoop of Schmidt Show PDX
Season 2, Episode 3 - A Double Scoop of Schmidt Show PDX This holiday week, we’re breaking from our usual co-hosted current events + one-interview format and bringing you two back-to-back conversations with people doing deeply local work in Portland: Tyler Pell from Tennis Courterly Katie and…
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Democracy, Defiance, and Remembering Rep. Hoa Nguyen (with Steph Routh & Xander Schultz)
Season 2, Episode 2 – Democracy, Defiance, and Remembering Rep. Hoa Nguyen (with Steph Routh & Xander Schultz) This week on Schmidt Show PDX, Mike is joined by guest co-host Steph Routh for a timely and emotional episode. We begin by remembering the late Representative Hoa Nguyen — her life, her...
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Return of the Awesome
Season 2, Episode 1 Special co-host: Candace Williams (Family Forward Oregon) Guest: Greg Raisman (Awesome Portland) What’s inside A no-fluff convo with Candace Williams (Family Forward) on what’s really happening in Portland right now—plus an invitation to Dance Like a Mother on November 8. Then...
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Episode 8 - The Season 1 Finale
We just wrapped up a fantastic recording session for Episode 8 – the Season 1 Finale of The Schmidt Show PDX, and trust me: you’re not going to want to miss this one. 💥 For the first time ever, we’re bringing in a guest co-host to join the mic. Who is it? You’ll have to tune in Wednesday to find...
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Episode 7 - Hellscape my Asterisk: Portland For All on Schmidt Show PDX
What happens when a national misinformation campaign hits your city? You organize. In our latest episode of *Schmidt Show PDX*, we’re joined by Moira and Andres from Portland For All — a grassroots coalition fighting for housing, public safety, transit access, and a truly inclusive civic vision…
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Episode 6 - The Mic, the Myth, the Media: Thom Hartmann Joins Schmidt Show PDX
If you care about democracy, misinformation, or what’s really going on in the American political machine — then you’ve heard of Thom Hartmann. This week on Schmidt Show PDX, we sit down with the nation’s #1 progressive talk show host to dig into the state of democracy, the rise of disinformation,...
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Episode 5 - Agora-phobic?: A Conversation with Andrew DeVigal
On this week’s episode of Schmidt Show PDX, we hit the road and taped on location at the University of Oregon’s beautiful new campus space in Northeast Portland. Our guest? The ever-insightful Andrew DeVigal, director of The Agora Journalism Center — an organization committed to reinventing...
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Episode 4 - Comb Together: A conversation with Mykal of Hairstylists for Humanity
On this week’s episode of The Schmidt Show, we’re talking about the power of a haircut—and trust us, it’s deeper than Met Gala fashion faux pas. Our guest is Mykal, founder of Hairstylists for Humanity —a platform to network barbers and stylists who offer free grooming services to people...
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Episode 3 - Is religion ☠️ in Portland? A Conversation with Rev. Sara Fischer
This week on Schmidt Show PDX, we sit down with someone who embodies the heart and soul of Portland’s service community—Rev. Sara Fischer, Episcopal priest, neighbor, and tireless advocate for people on the margins. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about faith—not as dogma, but as...
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Episode 2 - PDX Saints Love
🎙️ The Schmidt Show PDX: When the City Turns Its Back – A Conversation with Saints Love PDX In this week’s episode of The Schmidt Show PDX, we sit down with Kristle Delihanty, Executive Director of PDX Saints Love — a grassroots, community-rooted organization providing food, shelter, and…
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Episode 1 - Oregon Walks
We’re thrilled to launch The Schmidt Show PDX, a new podcast amplifying the voices of the people that hold our community together and shape Portland’s future. In our premiere episode, we delve into the motivations behind this podcast and feature a conversation with Zachary Lauritzen, Executive...
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Schmidt Show PDX - Promo
Episode 0, our brief promo. Come learn what The Schmidt Show PDX is all about. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.schmidtshowpdx.com/subscribe
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Schmidt Show PDX have?
The Schmidt Show PDX currently has 40 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Schmidt Show PDX about?
The Schmidt Show PDX covers positive local news and happenings in and around Portland, Oregon. The podcast is hosted by former Multnomah DA, Mike Schmidt. www.schmidtshowpdx.com
How often does The Schmidt Show PDX release new episodes?
The Schmidt Show PDX has 40 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Schmidt Show PDX?
You can listen to The Schmidt Show PDX on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Schmidt Show PDX?
The Schmidt Show PDX is created and hosted by Mike Schmidt.
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