From 2020 to 2022, I served in key leadership roles with the Young Republicans of Oregon, initially as Media Director and later as Vice Chair. During this time, I launched the YRO podcast, where I conducted the following interviews.
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Title and Spotify Link |
Description |
Date Released |
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Season 1 |
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| YRO Episode 1 | The Young Republicans of Oregon’s first ever podcast episode is here! We talk to the host, Lauren Kristensen, and another young republican about how they both “left the Left.” We also talk to Tom Harrison who is running for U.S. House of Representatives for Oregon District 3 against the incumbent Earl Blumenauer. | 3/10/2020 |
| Bonus Episode 1 | A continuation of our conversation of leaving the left with the same young republican from last week (3/9) | 3/16/2020 |
| Jack Kerfoot: candidate for Portland City Commissioner Position 2 |
Today I talk to Jack Kerfoot about his views on homelessness, safe streets, climate change and renewable energy.
*The commissioner positions are all nonpartisan positions.
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3/23/2020 |
| Heidi Briones (D) – Candidate for U.S. Representative for Oregon’s 1st district | I talk to Heidi Briones about her campaign. We talk universal basic income, decriminalizing opioids, democracy dollars, and more. District 1 is: West Portland, Hillsboro, Beaverton. Everything west of I-5. North side of downtown Portland all the way to Astoria, Seaside, Cannon Beach, Yamhill County |
4/6/2020 |
| Jo Rae Perkins (R) and Alek Skarlatos (R) | Jo Rae Perkins is a Republican candidate for the Oregon U.S. Senate seat currently filled by Jeff Merkley(D). https://www.perkinsforussenate.vote/ Alek Skarlatos is a Republican candidate for Oregon’s U.S. House of Representatives 4th Congressional District seat. The incumbent is Peter Defazio(D). 4th Congressional District covers Oregon’s southern coastal counties: Coos, Curry, Douglas, Lane and Linn counties. It also includes most of Benton and Josephine counties. |
4/13/2020 |
| Ozzie Gonzalez: candidate for Portland Mayor | I interview Ozzie Gonzalez and dive into his specific policies to help Portland. | 4/20/2020 |
| Albert Lee (D) – Candidate for Oregon’s 3rd District in the U.S. House of Representatives |
I talk to Albert Lee about maximum wages, gun rights, healthcare and housing. He is running for the 3rd District seat in the U.S. House. This seat covers most of Multnomah County including Gresham, Troutdale, and most of Portland east of the Willamette River. It also includes the northeast part of Clackamas County. The incumbent is Earl Blumenauer (D).
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4/27/2020 |
| Jonathan Lopez (R) – Candidate for Umatilla County Commissioner | I talk to Jonathan Lopez about urban Oregon exploiting rural Oregon, special interest groups, abortion, and gun rights. Umatilla County is part of eastern Oregon including Pendleton and Hermiston. |
5/04/2020 |
| Josh Howard – (R) candidate for State Rep. District 40 | Today I chat with a Republican candidate for State Representative District 40. District 40 is Oregon City, Gladstone, Clackamas Heights, Johnson City and Jennings Lodge. The incumbent is Mark Meek (D). | 5/11/2020 |
| Justin Hwang (R) – Candidate for State Senate District 25 |
I talk to Justin Hwang, owner of 30+ Portland restaurants, about the issues he’s focusing on for his campaign and how being a South Korean immigrant has added another dimension to his political views. Senate District 25 covers east Portland in Multnomah County.
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6/15/2020 |
| Kiki Bittner – Campaign Consultant/Manager | Today Kiki Bittner joins us to talk about her most memorable campaigns, why Oregon is a Blue state, and the importance of social media in the 2020 elections. *Full disclosure: The host, Lauren Kristensen, is interning for Kiki Bittner and working on Sue Piazza’s campaign for Gresham City Council and Rey Reynold’s campaign for State Senate District 49. |
6/29/2020 |
| Jonathan Lopez’s response to hoax letter | I talk to Jonathan Lopez about writing a racist letter and claiming it was from an anonymous source. I interviewed Lopez awhile back when he was running for an Umatilla County Commissioner position. Follow the link for Lopez’s apology letter. | 7/10/2020 |
| Anna Kasachev – Candidate for House District 22 (R) | I talk with Anna Kasachev about religious freedom, vaccines, domestic abuse, and the Republican Party. Kasachev is running to represent HD 22 which incorporates part of Marion County including Woodburn, Gervais, and North Salem. She is going up against incumbent Teresa Alonso Leon (D). | 7/20/2020 |
| Nathan Duell – Southwest Regional Coordinator at Heritage Action for America | Today I speak with Nathan Duell. He is the SW regional coordinator for Heritage Action for America. This organization is the political branch of the Heritage Foundation which is the largest conservative think tank in America. We discuss the Portland riots, the Marxist Left, voter fraud, and much more! |
8/03/2020 |
| Joanna Harbour (R) – candidate for U.S. House of Representatives for Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District | Joanna Harbour is running against Democrat Earl Blumenauer. We talk about social security, human trafficking, housing, homeless, and much more. | 8/17/2020 |
| Chris Christensen – Candidate for Oregon’s 1st Congressional District (R) | Today I speak with Chris Christensen. He’s running for Oregon’s 1st Congressional District which covers Clatsop, Columbia, Yamhill, Hillsboro and part of Multnomah County. The incumbent is Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D). | 10/04/2020 |
| Ryan Gardner (R) – Candidate for Oregon’s House of Representatives for District 47 |
Today we are speaking with Ryan Gardner, he is running for Oregon’s House of Representatives District 47. This covers east Portland, east of 205 above Powell and beneath Sandy. The incumbent for this position is the Democrat Representative Diego Hernandez. Gardner discusses education, Portland safety, the state’s COVID pandemic response, and much more.
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10/05/2020 |
| James Hieb (R) – Candidate for Canby City Council |
Hello everyone, welcome to another YRO podcast. We are speaking with James Hieb today. He is running for a seat on the city council in Canby. Canby is located SE of Portland. There are four seats available between six candidates. James is also a fellow member of the Young Republicans of Oregon. Hieb discusses transportation, safety, covid, the Trump Victory Event this Sunday, October 18th, and much more.
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10/16/2020 |
| Senator Kim Thatcher (R) – Running for Oregon’s Secretary of State | Today I talk to Senator Kim Thatcher. She’s running for Secretary of State against Democrat Shamia Fagan. This is the audio taken from our live-stream we did a little bit ago so that’s why I sound so far away. |
11/02/2020 |
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Season 2 |
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| Socialism in Cuba | Happy Monday! We are officially starting Season 2 of this podcast. Today I talk to Grace Cargni. She is from Cuba and describes the evils of socialism under Fidel Castro. | 11/16/2020 |
| Socialism in Ukraine with Anna Sims | Anna Sims is an Ukrainian immigrant. She talks about her time growing up in this socialist country. She describes how the Communist supporters were terrified to say they believed in God and identified as atheists at the time, but now many are saying that they always believed in God. People had to be silent because, as Anna’s mom says, The Walls have Ears. The government was always watching you. She also describes the black, unmarked pickup trucks, nicknamed the Black Crow, that would patrol the neighborhood and take people away and their family would never see them again. |
11/29/2020 |
| Ben Edtl – Small business owner in Portland | Today I talk with Ben Edtl. He ran for Tigard City Council this year and, unfortunately, lost. He also was the owner of 3 coffee shops(including Dovetail Coffee and Coffeehouse Northwest) in downtown Portland, but due to the riots and vandalism, he had to close down all 3 businesses. | 12/14/2020 |
| Socialism in Indonesia | Today, I talk to Helen Heller. She lives in the Portland area and moved here from Indonesia. This episode was recorded on Dec. 18, 2020. We discuss socialized medicine, propaganda education, and Indonesia today. |
01/28/2021 |
| What to expect for Oregon’s 2021 Legislative Session |
Today, I speak with Justin Brecht. He is the Senior Policy Analyst for the Senate Republican Caucus. He oversees the following Committees: Judiciary, Finance and Revenue, Veteran and Emergency Preparedness and Rules. We talk about which bills he thinks have a chance of passing for this legislative session that started on January 19th. This recording was made on January 22nd, 2021. If you have questions about the legislative session, please email Justin at brechtjustin@yahoo.com
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01/31/2021 |
| Stephen Moore Interview Feb 13, 2021 | Stephen Moore, Former Economic Advisor to President Trump, joins YRO on a Zoom call to chat about Biden’s policies, working with Trump, the threat of China, 2021 election, and more! | 02/15/2021 |
| Lauren’s commentary on Former Oregon Elections Director Stephen Trout’s letter | On November 2nd, 2020 Former Oregon Elections Director, Stephen Trout, sent a letter to the two Secretary of State candidates Shemia Fagan and Sen. Kim Thatcher. I read you the letter and provide my thoughts along the way. Here is the letter to read for yourself. | 02/15/2021 |
| ORP Leadership Debate Feb. 2021 | Candidates Chair: Mayor Bill Currier (seeking reelection); Senator Dallas Heard Vice Chair: Commissioner Herman Baertschiger; Suni Danforth Treasurer: David Darnell; Senator Dennis Linthicum Secretary: Becky Mitts (seeking reelection); Senator Chuck Thomsen Panelists Lauren Kristensen, Young Republicans of Oregon Media Director Ari Little, Young Republicans of Oregon Senior Video Producer Alex McHaddad, Chair of Union County Republicans Jordan Tibbals, Young Republicans of Oregon Secretary |
02/19/2021 |
| Interview with Jeanette Schade – Candidate for Beaverton School Board Zone 1 | Welcome to our discussion with Beaverton School Board Zone 1 candidate Jeanette Schade. It’s worth noting that Schade has been given these questions ahead of time. Schade discusses the harm of Comprehensive Sex Education, and Critical Race Theory. She also talks about her plans to bring back Career and Technical Education into Beaverton Schools, opening schools up full time, and getting politics out of our education system. |
03/14/2021 |
| Oregon Republican Party National Committeeman Solomon Yue | Solomon Yue is the National Committeeman for the Oregon Republican Party, CEO of Republicans Overseas, and has served on countless boards and committees. I interviewed Solomon Yue on 3/20/2021 |
03/28/2021 |
| Happy Monday! Today, I talk to a slate of Hillsboro School Board candidates that are running on values that closely match those of conservatives. | 04/12/2021 | |
| May 18, 2021 Special Election Recap | Today, I talk with Western Liberty Network’s Executive Director Richard Burke. We focus on the Washington County school board race results and what to expect moving forward. | 05/24/2021 |
| 2022 Gubernatorial Candidate Jim Huggins | Today, I speak with Jim Huggins. Huggins is running for Oregon Governor in 2022. He is also a U.S. Air Force veteran and the president and CEO of New Shepherd Films an independent film production company in Salem. He holds 2 Doctorates (Engineering Management, Divinity), an M.S. in engineering, and a B.S. in mathematics. | 09/26/2021 |
| Gubernatorial Candidate Bud Pierce | Today, I talk to Bud Pierce. He’s been practicing medicine for 45 years and owns his own practice as a medical oncologist. We talk about his campaign, fundraising, working with the Left, and unifying the Republican Party. |
10/02/2021 |
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