The following 20 mayoral candidates are set to appear on the ballot, listed in alphabetical order:

Viable Candidates Have Prior Experience Holding or Running for Public Office

Three out of the nineteen mayoral candidates currently hold public office: Rene Gonzalez, Mingus Mapps, and Carmen Rubio, all serving as city commissioners on Portland’s City Council. Additionally, Keith Wilson ran for City Commissioner in 2020, a race won by current City Commissioner Dan Ryan.

Despite Anti-Incumbent Sentiment, Incumbents Remain Competitive

Although Portland’s sweeping 2022 reform measure was largely driven by anti-incumbent sentiment, sitting council members Carmen Rubio and Rene Gonzalez have consistently remained at the forefront of the mayor’s race. Notably, Gonzalez was elected in the same year voters approved these reforms, potentially positioning him as a candidate seen as representing change rather than the status quo.

Several factors contribute to the electoral advantage these incumbents hold. First, they were elected “at large” under Portland’s previous system, meaning they were chosen by voters citywide rather than by individual districts, significantly boosting their name recognition. Additionally, they benefited from a more generous public campaign financing system in the 2020 and 2022 elections, further elevating their public profiles. Serving on one of the smallest city councils among major U.S. cities also increased their media visibility. Finally, their individual executive authority over city bureaus allowed them to claim credit for bureau achievements without having to share recognition with other council members.

As a result, while the charter changes passed largely due to dissatisfaction with how incumbents managed city affairs, it is partially those incumbents’ control of bureaus that now gives them a substantial electoral advantage. The underfunding of the current public campaign financing program—a budget decision made by the current council—further strengthens this advantage, making it difficult for other candidates to compete effectively against well-known incumbents. Thus, despite the anti-incumbent sentiment that spurred the reforms, the remnants of the old system continue to favor current officeholders in the upcoming mayoral race.

In recent weeks, Keith Wilson, a sustainable trucking executive who founded a nonprofit providing shelter, has also emerged as a strong contender. Whether Wilson can overcome the incumbents’ name recognition and institutional support remains to be seen.

Gonzalez Leads Fundraising

Five mayoral candidates have qualified for Portland’s public campaign financing program (Small Donor Elections) by collecting at least 750 individual contributions from Portlanders. They are City Commissioners Rene Gonzalez and Mingus Mapps, artist and stripper Liv (Viva) Østhus, City Commissioner Carmen Rubio, and sustainable trucking company executive Keith Wilson.

The Small Donor Elections program offers a 9-to-1 match on contributions of up to $20 from individual Portlanders. A $20 donation can thus become $200 when matched by the program (a $20 contribution plus a $180 match). Due to the program’s budget constraints, mayoral candidates may receive up to $100,000 in public campaign financing—an approximate 87% reduction from 2020 when candidates could receive up to $750,000 in matching funds. This sharp decrease is expected to benefit incumbents, who have greater name recognition, partly gained by leveraging a more generous public campaign financing system in previous elections, and who may use their platforms as elected leaders to gain visibility. The reduction is also likely to amplify the role of independent expenditures—money spent by political interest groups to support or oppose a candidate—in shaping public opinion, as candidates will have significantly fewer resources to communicate their messages to voters. Notably, independent expenditure campaigns are forbidden by law from coordinating with candidates, yet they still play an important role in a candidate’s success or demise.

As of November 3, Gonzalez leads fundraising with roughly $311,000, benefiting from approximately $69,000 in carryover funds from his 2022 election. Wilson follows with over $288,000, while Rubio has collected over $254,000. Mapps trails behind with approximately $193,000. Osthus has raised approximately $138,000. Each of these totals include $100,000 in public campaign financing.

Rubio Tops Endorsements

As of November 3, City Commissioner Carmen Rubio’s campaign leads in endorsements, securing support from over 20 progressive elected leaders. Among her prominent backers are Governor Tina Kotek, former Governor Kate Brown, and former Portland Mayor Tom Potter, for whom Rubio worked as a staffer. Her platform, focusing on climate action, housing expansion, community policing, and addressing poverty and homelessness, has garnered additional support from the Working Families Party and multiple labor organizations. These include the Portland Association of Teachers and AFSCME Oregon, which represents public employees across various sectors.

Rene Gonzalez, whose platform emphasizes economic revitalization and stricter enforcement of public camping and drug bans, sports endorsements from the Portland Police Association, the Portland Firefighters Association, and regional sheriffs and district attorneys. He also enjoys the support of several trade unions and former US Congressman Kurt Schrader.

Keith Wilson, running on a promise to end unsheltered homelessness within his first year as mayor by rolling out a network of flexible, low-cost overnight shelters, is supported by a mix of trade unions, homelessness experts, and elected officials. His endorsers include the mayors of Lake Oswego and Hillsboro. Østhus, running on a platform that considers Portland’s art, music, and entertainment scene as the main engine for Portland’s revitalization, currently has no official endorsements.

The following 98 council candidates will appear on the ballot, listed in alphabetical order. The filing window for the Portland general election has now closed; however, candidates may qualify as certified write-in candidates until October 29th.

Portland is a Pride City

While Rose City Reform does not specifically track candidates’ sexual orientation, the candidate pool reflects Portland’s commitment to welcoming members of the LGBTQ+ community. At least nineteen candidates indicate in their campaign literature that they identify as LGBTQ+, comprising over 19%.

Most Candidates Have Never Held Office, Twelve Have Been Elected

While the vast majority of council candidates have never held office before, at least eleven candidates are current or former officeholders with a wide range of responsibilities.

Current Officeholders:

• District 1: David Linn (Centennial School Board), Cayle Tern (Reynolds School Board)
• District 2: Michelle DePass (Portland Public Schools Board of Education), Marnie Glickman (Miller Creek School District Trustee, California), Tiffani Penson (Portland Community College Board), Dan Ryan (Portland City Commission)

Past Officeholders:

• District 1: Mike Sands (Sacramento City Council, California), Loretta Smith (Former Multnomah County Commissioner)
• District 3: Rex Burkholder (Former Metro Councilor), Steve Novick (Former City Commissioner), John Sweeney (Multnomah Education Service District Board
• District 4: Bob Weinstein (Former Mayor of Ketchikan, Alaska)

Over 25% of the council candidates have run for elected office before. Their experiences range from simply appearing on the ballot without actively campaigning to high-profile races, such as the 2020 Portland City Commission runoff between Dan Ryan and Loretta Smith, which Ryan won with 51%.

Candidates Are Organizers

While most of the 2024 council contenders lack experience as elected officials, several of them have attended candidate school meant to train future office holders. At least eight candidates are graduates of the Oregon Labor Candidate School, and at least four are alumnae of Emerge, a training program for women candidates organized by the Democratic Party.

Many of the candidates are community organizers, representing unions, the Democratic Party, or various nonprofit and grassroots organizations. Nineteen council candidates currently serve as Precinct Committee Persons for the Multnomah County Democrats, where they actively engage voters, support Democratic candidates, and help shape party policies at the local level.

Fundraising Advantage for Those Qualified for Public Match

A total of 47 council candidates have qualified for public campaign financing, providing them with a significant advantage over those who could not utilize the program. Qualified participants can receive matching funds up to $120,000, with some already receiving payouts that have helped kickstart their campaigns.

District 1:
Steph Routh ($80,000), Candace Avalos ($40,000), Jamie Dunphy ($40,000), Timur Ender ($40,000), Noah Ernst (~$36,000), Terrence Hayes ($40,000), Loretta Smith ($40,000)

District 2:
James Armstrong ($40,000), Michelle DePass (~$38,000), Marnie Glickman ($80,000), Mariah Hudson ($40,000), Sameer Kanal ($40,000), Debbie Kitchin ($40,000), Mike Marshall ($40,000), Chris Olson ($16,000), Jennifer Park ($28,000), Tiffani Penson ($40,000), Elana Pirtle-Guiney ($40,000), Dan Ryan ($40,000), Bob Simril ($40,000), Laura Streib (~$30,000), Jonathan Tasini ($40,000), Nat West ($80,000), Nabil Zaghloul ($40,000)

District 3:
Angelita Morillo ($120,000), Tiffany Koyama Lane ($120,000), Rex Burkholder ($40,000), Jesse Cornett ($40,000), Daniel DeMelo ($40,000), Chris Flanary (~$37,000), Harrison Kass (~$28,000), Steve Novick ($40,000), Ahlam Osman (~$33,000), Luke Zak (~$18,000)

District 4:
Olivia Clark ($80,000), Eli Arnold ($40,000), Lisa Freeman ($40,000), Mitchell Green ($40,000), Chris Henry (~$25,000), Ben Hufford (40,000), Chad Lykins ($80,000), Tony Morse ($40,000), Stanley Penkin ($40,000), Moses Ross ($40,000), Sarah Silkie ($40,000), Bob Weinstein ($40,000), Eriz Zimmerman ($40,000)

Candidates Must Make Do with Less

While candidates who qualified for public campaign financing have a significant head start going into election season, the program’s budget constraints makes it less impactful than in previous years. During the 2022 election cycle, council candidates could collect up to $300,000 in matching funds. This means that current council members, some of whom are running in this cycle, benefited from more generous payouts in past elections. For example, City Commissioner Dan Ryan—the only current council member seeking to remain on the council—was able to collect approximately $459,000 in matching public funds across both the 2020 and 2022 cycles. This likely bolsters Ryan’s incumbent advantage, as his previous citywide campaigns boosted his name recognition.

However, the five candidates who have been quickest to unlock matching funds have never held or run for office before: Steph Routh in District 1, Nat West in District 2, Angelita Morillo and Tiffany Koyama-Lane in District 3, and Olivia Clark in District 4. Routh, West, Morillo and Clark have all reached 750 individual contributions, allowing them to raise up to $80,000 in public campaign financing. Tiffany Koyama-Lane and Angelita Morillo in District 3 are the only candidates who have reached 1,250 contributions, thereby reaching the match cap of $120,000.

Among the 47 council candidates who have qualified for public campaign financing, roughly 30% have run for office before.

Women Lead Fundraising Despite Gender Gap

As of November 3, the leading fundraisers in each district is as follows: Steph Routh in District 1, Dan Ryan in District 2, Tiffany Koyama Lane in District 3, and Olivia Clark in District 4. Given the underrepresentation of women in the council race, it’s significant that women lead in all districts except one.

Also noteworthy is that three of these top fundraisers—Routh, Koyama Lane, and Clark—are candidates who have qualified for multiple rounds of public campaign financing. The Small Donor Program allows council candidates to unlock matching funds at three intervals: upon receiving 250, 750, and 1,250 matchable contributions. Koyama Lane has received the maxmum amount of public financing, collecting a total of $120,000. Routh and Clark have each received $80,000. The only district frontrunner who has not yet qualified for more than one public financing round is Dan Ryan.

While the public campaign financing program currently appears to serve its role of leveling the playing field for grassroots candidates and those with more substantial financial support, this dynamic could shift as district races intensify and political action committees get involved. Consequently, this report will not delve into candidates’ fundraising progress at this time, but interested readers can track candidates’ progress via our candidate tracker.

Interest Groups Are Eager to Influence Outcome

The prospect of a clean slate at City Hall—with all seats up for election at once—presents a unique opportunity not only for candidates but also for interest groups aiming to influence the outcome. Consequently, the 2024 election has seen a flood of endorsements from organizations and political stakeholders. As of September 6, over two hundred elected officials, approximately thirty advocacy organizations, nearly forty labor organizations, and three political parties have backed city candidates. Some have endorsed a single candidate, while others have supported slates across each district. Strategies vary: some endorse three candidates per district for the three available seats, while others back six candidates per district to align with the six rankings Portland voters can use on the ballot. Meanwhile, some organizations simply endorse the candidates they prefer, regardless of the number of seats or rankings.

As of November 3, the candidates with the most endorsements from elected officials are environmental and criminal justice activist Candace Avalos in District 1, and recovery advocate Jesse Cornett in District 3. Meanwhile, the candidates with the most labor endorsements are writer and life-long union organizer Jonathan Tasini in District 2, closely followed by recovery and labor advocate Tony Morse in District 4.

Standing Out in Low-Visibility Races: How Council Candidates Are Defining Themselves

In the crowded 2024 council races, making meaningful connections with voters is a considerable challenge. Conventional political wisdom suggests that voters need multiple exposures to a candidate’s name and platform before they are likely to choose that candidate over others. While some candidates, like anti-hunger advocate and social media influencer Angelita Morillo in District 3, can leverage a substantial social media following to amplify their message, most lack this advantage. Consequently, many candidates rely on political cues, such as campaign pledges—public commitments to take specific actions if elected—to position themselves on the political spectrum.

For example, over twenty progressive candidates have signed the “Save Portland Street Response Pledge,” committing to fully fund and expand Portland Street Response, the city’s unarmed first responder program addressing mental health crises. This pledge also requires candidates to advocate for establishing Portland Street Response as a co-equal branch of the city’s emergency response network. Fourteen council candidates have signed a pledge calling for a resolution supporting a Gaza ceasefire, while nine have committed to establishing a Renters’ Bill of Rights in Portland. Additionally, many have signed anti-endorsement pledges rejecting support from certain organizations and interest groups. At least eleven candidates have signed the No Police Money Pledge, while another thirteen have committed to the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge.

These pledges not only solidify campaign promises but also help candidates position themselves politically. However, with predictions of a tough budget cycle during the first term of the newly elected council, some pledges involving budgetary commitments may be tested as candidates face difficult decisions about which programs to fund.

Candidates Run Together: Informal Alliances Abound

Portland’s new electoral system—ranked choice voting combined with multi-seat districts—has fostered a notably more collegial atmosphere among candidates than in previous years. Many candidates prefer to maintain friendly relationships to boost their chances of receiving high rankings from competitors’ supporters.

Over the past year, informal alliances have formed both within and between districts, with candidates canvassing together or participating in buzz-worthy events such as cycling races, community gatherings, neighborhood fairs, and parades. Group selfies of candidates have become a staple of the 2024 council campaign, often featuring candidates who may differ ideologically but aim to show voters that they can get along.

While signs of negativity are emerging in some races, particularly those where frontrunners are divided on key issues like public safety and the role of law enforcement, the overarching spirit of the 2024 election cycle remains one of camaraderie and collaboration. Based on anecdotal evidence, Rose City Reform has observed a spirit of “being in this together” among candidates who may not see eye to eye on policy but feel united by the experience of making history as the first candidate cohort under Portland’s new system.

Public Safety and Homelessness: Key Issues and Dividing Lines

As Portland voters navigate the crowded field of candidates, public safety and homelessness have emerged as the defining issues of this election cycle. A recent survey commissioned by the Oregonian and conducted by DHM Research in May of this year underscores the importance of these issues, revealing that 53% of tri-county voters identified homelessness as the most pressing problem facing the region, with crime following at 20% and drug use and addiction at 19%.

In the 2024 election, candidates’ stances on the enforcement of camping bans and illegal drug policies often serve as key differentiators, dividing them into two informal factions. One faction advocates for stricter enforcement, a stronger police force, and relocating those sleeping on the streets into designated overnight shelters. The other faction pushes for alternatives to policing, emphasizing permanent housing solutions and supportive services.

This ideological divide is most prominently reflected in the platforms of mayoral frontrunners Rene Gonzalez and Carmen Rubio. Gonzalez, a moderate Democrat, emphasizes public safety and livability, advocating for a stronger police presence and stricter law enforcement. Rubio, a progressive Democrat, prioritizes expanding social services and long-term housing solutions as the cornerstone of her approach to homelessness.

Which “First” Will be First?

Portland’s recent reforms have not only attracted a larger candidate pool but have also resulted in a more diverse array of candidate profiles. Consequently, many candidates are vying to be the “first” of something on the City Council.

So, which “first” will Portland elect first? In District 1, will voters choose Terrence Hayes, a formerly incarcerated gang member who now works to improve relations between the community and the police? Will transportation planner Timur Ender in District 1 or Multnomah County program manager Nabil Zaghloul in District 2 become Portland’s first Middle Eastern council members? Similarly, could public school teacher and union organizer Tiffany Koyama Lane in District 3 or City of Portland project manager Sameer Kanal in District 2 become the first Asian Americans to serve on the council? In District 3, will voters opt for the first nonbinary representative in housing specialist and union organizer Chris Flanary? In District 4, could Mitch Green be chosen as the first openly socialist candidate?

While some candidates may not fit neatly into the “first” category, there are other standout themes in this diverse race. Will Portlanders elect one of the candidates whose campaigns are centered around their long-term recovery from addiction, such as Mike Marshall in District 2, Jesse Cornett in District 3, and Tony Morse in District 4? Or perhaps candidates like Angelita Morillo and Harrison Kass in District 3, who have personal experiences with homelessness, will resonate with voters?

In the mayoral race, Portland has a high likelihood of making history by electing its first Latinx mayor, whether it’s Carmen Rubio or Rene Gonzalez. Voters also have the chance to elect their first Black mayor in Mingus Mapps, and even their first mayor with a background as an adult entertainer in Liv Østhus.

Whichever ‘first’ emerges, this election is set to reshape Portland’s political landscape, making it one of the most significant and dynamic in the city’s history—in large part due to the unprecedented participation of political candidates.

Get ready, Portlanders: We’re in for an election season like no other.