The Portland Fire Fighters Association has endorsed 11 candidates for Portland City Council.
In District 1, the union endorsed Jamie Dunphy, Terrence Hayes, and Steph Routh. In District 2, City Commissioner Dan Ryan and Bob Simril received the nod. In District 3, former city commissioner Steve Novick, Jesse Cornett, and Daniel DeMelo were backed. In District 4, the firefighters chose Tony Morse, Olivia Clark, and Eli Arnold. The union has previously endorsed City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez for Portland mayor.
“My grandfather was a Portland Firefighter, and I’m named after him,” District 4 candidate Tony Morse wrote on Instagram.
“As your Portland City Councilor, I will always work to make sure our firefighters get the support they need to do their jobs safely. I’m eager to work with our Firefighters Union to build a safer and stronger Portland.”
Morse, who has been endorsed by sixteen labor unions, also enjoys support from the Portland Police Association, an endorsement he shares with City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez, District 1 candidate Terrence Hayes and District 2 contender Daniel DeMelo. In Morse’s own district, Eli Arnold, Olivia Clark, and Eric Zimmerman have also been endorsed by the police union.
The Working Families Party of Oregon has also announced its first round of endorsements, selecting Candace Avalos, Timur Ender, and Steph Routh in District 1; Nat West in District 2; Tiffany Koyama Lane and Angelita Morillo in District 3; and Mitch Green in District 4.
“As a BIPOC working mom, I know that the Working Families Party is one of the most powerful organizations for supporting workers and families, changing the calculus at the ballot box, and strengthening the multiracial working class,” Tiffany Koyama Lane posted on Instagram.
Koyama Lane, a public school teacher and union organizer, is also backed by the Portland chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, an endorsement she shares with Mitch Green in District 4.
The social justice Portland For All has unveiled its endrosements for District 1 and 3, tapping Candace Avalos, Timur Ender, and Steph Routh in East Portland (D1), and Tiffany Koyama Lane and Angelita Morillo in Southeast Portland (D3).
Additionally, three animal rights organizations – Animal Rights Collective, Compassionate PDX, and Pro-Animal Future – have announced their endorsements. All three are supporting Steph Routh and Jamie Dunphy in District 1 and Chad Lykins in District 4. Additionally, Animal Rights Collective is also endorsing Marnie Glickman and Jonathan Tasini in District 2, and Angelita Morillo in District 3. Pro-Animal Future also backs Jonathan Tasini in District 2.
Moms Demand Action, a grassroots group founded by a mother of one of the children killed in the Sandy Hook school shooting, has awarded their ‘Gun Sense Distinction’ to nine council candidates: Candace Avalos (D1), Marnie Glickman (D2), Jonathan Tasini (D2), Elana Pirtle-Guiney (D2), Laura Streib (D2), Jennifer Park (D2), Chad Lykins (D4), Tony Morse (D4), and Sarah Silkie (D4).
