[Read all of our 2026 election endorsements here.—eds]
City Council District 4 encompasses most of Northwest and Southwest Portland, as well as a swath of Southeast from Macadam Avenue to Campesinos Boulevard—recently renamed from Cesar E. Chavez Blvd.
District 4 is one of two Council districts in which those elected in 2024 are serving two-year terms under Portland’s new city charter, to allow for the 12-person City Council to have staggered terms. This election, candidates are running for a standard four-year term, and twelve candidates are running for three seats this election.
In September, the Mercury did one-on-one interviews with two incumbent candidates, Mitch Green and Eric Zimmerman, in our offices. Olivia Clark was unable to schedule a time to meet but responded via email. We also brought in three other candidates for a panel interview, candidates whose responses to our questionnaire piqued our interest—Jayne Cronlund, Jamey Evenstar, Jeremy Beausoleil Smith. Eli Arnold was unable to make it to the panel at the last minute, so we interviewed him one-on-one via remote video.
Here are the Mercury’s 2026 endorsements for District 4.
#1 Mitch Green
It’s no surprise moneyed Portlanders are doing everything in their power to oust Councilor Mitch Green—the affable socialist US Army veteran with a PhD in economics poses a real threat to their interests. In recent weeks, Green has faced a barrage of negative headlines (and several billboard attack ads), with critics going after him for a few controversies. So let’s get this out of the way: Green should’ve kept up on his property taxes, but his failure to pay them on time suggests disorganization, not hypocrisy. And he was far from the only person criticizing cops in 2020. We do think Green’s decision to start a fire in his backyard over the summer was irresponsible and weird. He’s lucky the consequences weren’t worse. But we believe his apology and are ready to move on. (Just don’t do it again, please.)
Mostly, we think Green’s recent controversies pale in comparison to his record on Council. Green has championed proven solutions to homelessness, including introducing a major social housing initiative and helping find funding for it. He’s also advocated for eviction prevention initiatives and helped pass the ban on algorithmic rental price fixing. Portlanders have benefitted from his advocacy for a fair, responsible Moda Center deal. And, regarding Green’s somewhat controversial foie gras ban—we appreciate his willingness to sacrifice some political capital for a noble cause, even if it seemed like a niche issue. Plus, this is Portland, Oregon. You don’t think vegans vote?
Green offers unique solutions for problems Portland has struggled to address through the status quo. We’re eager to see what he’ll do with another four years in office.
#2 Jamey Evenstar
Jamey Evenstar is smart, experienced, and understands how Portland government currently works and how it’s supposed to work. Evenstar is no stranger to City Hall. Most recently, she served as chief of staff to District 1 Councilor Candace Avalos up until January. Prior to that, she worked in former City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly’s office. Evenstar also served on Portland’s Charter Transition Team, helping craft the implementation of the city’s new form of government.
She brings years of civic engagement and knowledge about meaningful policy moves that have helped reshape City Hall. Evenstar isn’t just a policy wonk, she’s a mom of five who knows what it’s like to struggle financially. She relies on public transit daily and says Portland’s robust transit system is what drew her to the city in the first place. That means she knows the importance of public services that work for people as intended.
Evenstar would bring a lens to city government that’s rooted in practical, effective solutions. For instance, when asked what she’d do differently if she were currently on Council, she didn’t hesitate, pointing to what she sees as a misinterpretation of the council president role (one she says was meant to be primarily administrative, not a leadership position). She’d also like to see the Council lead more on the budget development process, so the mayor’s budget is a reflection of Council priorities, and budget amendments are small refinements, not seismic changes.
Put simply, Evenstar is highly qualified, competent, and if elected, could hit the ground running right away to help build on the charter reform progress already underway.
Honorable mention
Jeremy Beausoleil Smith: The Mercury’s Editorial Board is only endorsing two candidates in District 4, but we’re giving an honorable mention to Jeremy Beausoleil Smith. He also ran for City Council in 2024, and wants to see the city adopt a renters bill of rights, a moratorium on data centers, and to continue the work to protect immigrant communities from Trump’s agenda. Beausoleil Smith would undoubtedly have a learning curve if elected. We appreciate Beausoleil Smith’s passion and clear values, but weren’t ready to extend a full endorsement.
Thanks…but no thanks
Eli Arnold: Eli Arnold is a bit of an enigma. The Portland police officer and second-time candidate seems open-minded and thoughtful on some issues, and would arguably be more likely to bring needed compromise than incumbents Eric Zimmerman and Olivia Clark. But it’s hard to imagine he wouldn’t vote in line with the interests of the Portland Police Bureau and its union at a time when half the City Council already seems to have a hard time looking critically at the Police Bureau’s budget and its service outcomes. We also found some of his views on homelessness, addiction, and the root causes of each to be misguided and ultimately disqualifying.
Olivia Clark: While we appreciate that Olivia Clark stuck her neck out and worked to get legislation passed to fund PBOT, that seems to be the only bold legislating she’s done since taking office, and we’ve found too few other reasons to be impressed with her leadership. Clark made some off-the-wall remarks likening a ban on foie gras to legislating women’s bodies. For someone who values autonomy and feminist ideals, she’s been steadfast in her deference to the mayor and the patriarchal Police Bureau when it comes to decision making.
Eric Zimmerman: Zimmerman is smart and experienced, but too often seems to weaponize his position on Council to impede progress on legislation and create stalemates, rather than finding workable solutions. Zimmerman’s “no” votes on several pieces of sound, thoughtful legislation are puzzling. His recent comments labeling Portlanders as “antisemitic” for giving public testimony on an agenda item he disagreed with were disappointing and disrespectful. We think Portland and District 4 would be better served by someone who can represent all of their constituents, not just those they agree with.
The Mercury Election Strike Force is News Editor Courtney Vaughn, Reporters Taylor Griggs and Jeremiah Hayden, Managing Editor Katherine Chew Hamilton, and Editor-in-Chief Wm. Steven Humphrey.