HIGH FIVE! Biden campaign Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be our next president and vice-president, according to calls made by multiple news outlets Saturday morning. The calls were made after it became clear that Biden had a strong enough lead in Pennsylvania that Donald Trump couldn’t make up the vote gap, pushing the former […]
Blair Stenvick
Blair Stenvick is a former news reporter and culture writer for the Portland Mercury.
Posted inNews
Gov. Brown Hits “Pause” On Social Gatherings for Multnomah County
Gov. Kate Brown at a Friday press conference. Citing an unprecedented surge of new COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, Gov. Kate Brown has announced new temporary restrictions for five Oregon counties—including Multnomah County. “Oregon has done relatively better than many other states in containing the virus, but we cannot let up now,” Brown said at […]
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Good Morning, News: National Guard in Portland, COVID-19 Cases Spike, and We’re Still Waiting for a Presidential Winner
We need your help. The economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis is threatening our ability to keep producing the quality reporting you’ve come to love. If you’re able, please consider making a monthly contribution to the Mercury. Members of Unified Command policing a protest in downtown Portland last night. Suzette Smith Good morning, Portland! Time […]
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Sarah Iannarone Concedes In Portland Mayoral Race
A screen grab from Sarah Iannarone’s concession speech. Sarah Iannarone has officially conceded to Mayor Ted Wheeler in the race for mayor of Portland. In a livestreamed video on her campaign’s social media pages, Iannarone delivered an emotional concession speech—but also signaled that she isn’t resigning from the Portland political realm. “I’m humbled by this […]
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Portland Voters Pass Progressive Measures, Skip Progressive Candidates
Dirk Vanderhart In Portland, Tuesday’s election results illustrated a curious split between local voters. While Portlanders veered away from more progressive candidates on the ballot, they backed nearly every progressive ballot measure in both local and statewide races. To Mingus Mapps, a former political science professor and city employee elected to Portland City Council Tuesday, […]
Posted inElection 2020
Mary Nolan Wins Metro Council Race Against Chris Smith
Mary Nolan campaign photo Mary Nolan has won the District 5 race for Metro Council. As of 9:45 pm Tuesday, Nolan is leading opponent Chris Smith by about 25 percent of the vote. Nolan, a former Democratic majority leader in the Oregon House, told the Mercury that she saw her victory as a sign that […]
Posted inElection 2020
Portland Metro Voters Reject $5B Transportation Funding Measure
TriMet’s plan to build a new MAX line connecting Portland to the southwest suburbs was thwarted Tuesday, when Metro voters rejected a funding measure for the project. trimet Metro’s $5 billion transportation funding measure appears to have been rejected by Portland area voters. The “No” votes for Measure 26-218—which would have funded a new MAX […]
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Good Morning, News: Vote by 8 pm, Follow Our Liveblog, and Take a Deep Breath!
We need your help. The economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis is threatening our ability to keep producing the quality reporting you’ve come to love. If you’re able, please consider making a monthly contribution to the Mercury. Election worker Sarah Sladek empties a box of submitted ballots at the Multnomah County Elections Office yesterday. Nathan […]
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Multnomah County Candidates of Color See Themselves Misrepresented in Campaign Mailers
Eddy Morales (left) and Rima Ghandour campaign photos Across Oregon, a historic number of candidates of color are running for elected office—and many have a solid chance of winning on Tuesday. But as two Multnomah County races show, with more diverse candidates come new, important questions around the role of race in political campaigns—and how […]
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Commissioner Hardesty Endorses Sarah Iannarone for Mayor
Sarah Iannarone campaign / NATALIE BEHRING Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty endorsed Sarah Iannarone for mayor of Portland Thursday afternoon, just five days before the citywide election. The move comes a month after Hardesty rescinded her endorsement of Mayor Ted Wheeler’s re-election campaign, citing Wheeler’s handling of policing at racial justice protests as her […]
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Good Morning, News: Portlanders Want a Police Budget Cut, Federally Deputized Cops Curtailed, and Swing State Speculation
We need your help. The economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis is threatening our ability to keep producing the quality reporting you’ve come to love. If you’re able, please consider making a monthly contribution to the Mercury. A typical American voter waits for the USPS to pick up their mail-in ballot in Arizona. John Moore […]
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It’s One Week Until Election Day—Here’s What You Need to Know
Multnomah county For many Portlanders, it seems like we’ve been waiting for November 3, 2020 for about four years now. That’s apparent in early ballot return numbers for Multnomah County: Over half of all registered voters have already returned their ballots. At this point in 2016, only 30 percent of Multnomah County ballots had been […]