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 community’s support for a courageous mom on a fast bike with a bold plan for progress,” Iannarone told her supporters. “It may not feel like it at this time, but you made an important choice… I’m glad my campaign showed America that everyday antifascism is not scary.”
Iannarone, an urban policy consultant, ran to the left of Wheeler, a moderate democrat who is now poised to enter his second term as mayor. Wheeler secured 46 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s election, while Iannarone won 40 percent. About 13 percent of votes were for write-in candidates—and a hefty portion of those write-ins were likely for Teressa Raiford, the founder of Don’t Shoot PDX, who came in third in the May primary mayoral race.
In total, that means 53 percent of Portlanders voted for a candidate that wasn’t Wheeler.
“I love that over half of Portland voters went not for the status quo, but for change, this election,” Iannarone said about the results.
Iannarone also delivered a “hearty congratulations to Mayor Ted Wheeler,” while encouraging her supporters to “hold him accountable.”
“It is our collective responsibility to empower Mayor Wheeler to succeed,” she said. “Together, we must push to become the city we all truly know [Portland] can be.”
Iannarone’s speech highlighted the issues she campaigned on, including fixing the city’s housing crisis, curbing climate change, racial justice, and reigning in the Portland Police Bureau. She told her supporters to “stay actively engaged in the upcoming charter review,” a once-a-decade process in which changes can be made to Portland’s charter, which acts as the city’s constitution.
“That’s where a lot of this work can be done.”
Before signing off, Iannarone also promised to stay involved in civil life.
“While we’re turning the lights off on this campaign for now, I’ll continue to show up for you,” she said. “It’s my intention to keep fighting for you, Portland.”
