- Oregon State Senator, 1999-2011.
About Sen. Metsger
Richard “Rick” Metsger was born in Portland, Oregon. He grew up in Sandy and Gresham. He graduated from Lewis & Clark College in 1972, with a degree in communication. Metsger then taught at Sam Barlow High School and was an assistant basketball coach at Lewis & Clark. He earned a master’s degree in teaching from Lewis & Clark in 1975.
In 1977, Metsger became a sports reporter at Portland television station KOIN. After leaving his career in television in 1992, he served on the board of the Portland Teachers Credit Union. During his time on the board, a bill came up in the Oregon legislature to expand the field of membership of credit unions. Metsger testified in support of the bill, but it died in committee. Encouraged by longtime credit union lobbyist Pam Leavitt, he ran for a seat in the Oregon Senate. He was first elected in 1998 and served three terms.
In 2013, President Barack Obama nominated Metsger to serve on the board of the National Credit Union Administration. He served six years, under both the Obama and Trump administrations. Metsger returned to Salem in 2019 and later joined Pac/West Lobby Group as vice president of legislative and public affairs.
In the interview, Metsger discusses what motivated him to initially run for the Oregon Senate and describes his first campaign. He elaborates on the diversity of constituents in his district and how he advocated for the many different issues that were important to them. Metsger shares what he learned serving as a member of the minority party and then as a member of the majority party as Democrats gained control of the Senate over his tenure with the legislature. He provides details on specific legislation, his committee work, his tenure as Senate President Pro Temp, and how he injected humor into each legislative session with his publication, The Weakly Democrat.
– Interview recorded April 30, 2025