In bridge, to take a finesse means to attempt to win a trick with a certain card when a higher-ranking card is still in the hands of the opponents. Until his disgrace last week, Neil Goldschmidt was the highest-ranking "card" in the intersection of Oregon business and politics. A number of people ranked distantly behind Uncle Neil, none in clear possession of second place, however.
With Uncle Neil out of the picture for at least several years, and maybe for life, the influence field is now wide open. Who's going to take his place?