The November 2020 elections are over a year away and, at the national level, most candidates are months into intense campaigning. But in Portland, candidates vying for one of the three City Commission seats that will be up for grabs have only just begun to poke their heads up.
The city wonât accept official candidate filings for the May 2020 primary election until September 12, but that hasnât kept several Portlanders from announcing their plans to run. So who are these eager candidates? And, more importantly, do they have the chops to hold a public office?
The positions currently held by Mayor Ted Wheeler (who also serves as police commissioner), Commissioner Amanda Fritz, and Commissioner Chloe Eudaly will all be in contention in 2020. Out of the three, Fritz is the only one whoâs announced she wonât be running for reelection. Mayor Wheeler has yet to definitively say whether or not heâll run for reelection (but odds are he will) and Eudaly is vying for a second term.
Thus far, only one candidate has stepped up with intentions to fill Fritzâs vacancy: Carmen Rubio, the director of the Latino Network, a nonprofit that advocates Portlandâs Latinx community. If elected, Rubio would be the first Latinx on Portland City Council. As of the Mercuryâs press deadline, Rubioâs political action fund has yet to report any campaign contributions.
Banker Kevin McKay intends on challenging Eudaly with a pitch to develop more housing in Portlandâa subtle rebuttal to Eudalyâs focus on improving housing affordability with zoning changes and strengthened rentersâ rights. McKay has reported $140 in campaign contributions.
Wheeler has already attracted three challengers: police accountability advocate Teressa Raiford, progressive urban policy activist Sarah Iannarone, and environmental scientist Ozzie GonzĂĄlez.
Iannarone is one of Wheelerâs most pervasive critics, and previously ran against him in the 2016 mayoral race, collecting 12 percent of the vote. Sheâs reported $5,000 in campaign donations.
Raiford, who founded Donât Shoot Portland and led an unsuccessful run for City Council in 2012, has collected around $4,400, while GonzĂĄlez, a political newcomer, has raked in nearly $10,000, mostly from construction and engineering representatives. Wheelerâs political action fund, meanwhile, has accumulated nearly $140,000 in contributions.
And then, of course, thereâs the speculation: Are the recent donations to Multnomah County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pedersonâs campaign war chest meant for her mayoral run? Does Oregon Rep. Diego Hernandez want to bring his state-level progressive policies to City Hall? Will Wheeler nemesis Daryl Turner, head of Portlandâs police union, make his long-anticipated sprint for the mayorâs office?
Portlandâs last two city council elections were marked with unique victories, with Eudaly, an activist representing displaced renters, and Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, a staunch police critic, disrupting City Hallâs politically moderate tenor.
Itâs too early to tell if 2020âs election cycle will keep this trend going. But with a national eye geared on Portland politics and divisive city council votes on the horizon, weâre not counting it out.