With just five weeks until the November election, more than 140 candidates are running in local elections. At stake: 12 seats on the Portland City Council, two seats on the Multnomah County Commission, and two seats in the Portland Mayor’s Office.
As WW previously reported, with so many candidates this season, voters are increasingly looking to endorsements and campaign materials to decide who to vote for.
That means a swarm of special interest groups with the ability to influence elections both by spending money and by expressing endorsements—special interests in particular can significantly limit the amount of money candidates can raise. This is because they do not benefit from local campaign finance regulations. .
So political action committees have voiced their support and will soon begin spending money on mailers and ads for their candidates of choice. Each member of these groups has something to lose or gain in this year’s unique and tricky election that will determine the direction of the city and county for the next four years.
Below are seven local interest groups and their aspirations, as far as we can parse them out.
Funds raised by PAC so far this year: $400,086
what do they want? Select moderate, business-friendly city council candidates. (Much of this money was raised and used in the May primary to support moderate candidates running for Multnomah County Council.)
Who are they supporting? The group issued a statement of support on October 8th. Candidates include Eric Zimmerman and Olivia Clark in District 4. Elana Pirtle-Guiney and City Commissioner Dan Ryan of District 2; Terrence Hayes and Loretta Smith of District 1; and Rex Burkholder and Jesse Cornett in District 3.
who are they? The Portland Metro Chamber of Commerce, the city’s chamber of commerce, still known to many as the Portland Business Alliance, founded this PAC.
Average member: Mid-level executive at Nike.
Funds raised so far this year: $37,000
what do they want? Elect left-wing candidates to city council.
Who are they supporting? Candidates endorsed by the group include Candice Avalos, Steph Routh, Chad Lykins, Mitch Green and Angelita Morillo.
who are they? A group of progressive politicians primarily with close ties to the nonprofit world. Previous contributors to the PAC include former Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury, former Multnomah County Commissioner Sushila Jayapal (who lost to Maxine Dexter in the primary for Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District), now affiliated with Includes numerous PACs of former election officials and candidates. district), and Robin Yeh, who withdrew from the city council election this summer.
Average Member: Someone trying to decide whether to take their TriMet or bike to a Timbers game.
Funds raised so far this year: $30,000
what do they want? Select union-friendly city council candidates
Who are they supporting? The Northwest Oregon Labor Council, which spearheads the PAC, endorsed the candidate in June. Surprisingly, there is considerable confusion between the candidates they chose and those United supports in Portland, including 4th Ward moderates Eric Zimmerman and Olivia Clark. Can be seen.
who are they? A collection of public employee unions including the Portland Firefighters Association, LiUNA Local 737, SEIU, and AFSCME.
The average member: A city worker who wears a bathrobe and works from home.
Funds raised so far this year: $14,050
what do they want? To select candidates who will focus on building more affordable housing.
Who are they supporting? They support both center-left and moderate candidates in all four constituencies. The group has selected Carmen Rubio as its candidate for mayor.
who are they? Most of their contributions come from Diane Linn, director of PAC. Lynn served as Multnomah County Commissioner from 2003 to 2006 and has run various nonprofit organizations since then.
Average Member: Recovering Progressive.
Funds raised so far this year: $249,350
what do they want? Rene Gonzalez is elected mayor.
Who are they supporting? Gonzalez, natch. (Gonzalez’s rivals Carmen Rubio and Keith Wilson were also expected to receive independent support, but so far only Gonzalez’s backers have disclosed funding.)
who are they? Most of them are downtown developers, including the Goodman family and Jordan Schnitzer, and prominent business leaders, including John von Schlegel, co-founder and managing director of Endeavor Capital.
Average Member: A downtown suit worried about real estate holdings.
Funds raised so far this year: $1,310
what do they want? To persuade voters not to rank mayoral candidate Rene Gonzalez on ranked choice voting.
Who are they supporting? no one. They just don’t want Gonzalez to be the next mayor.
who are they? PAC’s financial director is Stephen Gomez, who serves on the board of directors of Street Roots, a nonprofit newspaper.
Average member: Adjunct professor at Lewis & Clark.
Funds raised so far this year: $0
what do they want? Elect progressives to the Multnomah County Commission and Portland City Council.
Who are they supporting? Megan Moyer and Shannon Singleton will be elected to fill the two open seats in Multnomah County. It is not yet clear whether the group will endorse candidates in the municipal election.
who are they? The PAC was formed by supporters of former mayoral candidate Sara Iannarone, who lost her 2020 race to Mayor Ted Wheeler. Iannarone, an avid advocate of alternative transportation, had planned to run a City Council candidate training program this spring, but that did not happen.
Average Member: Sara Iannarone.
This article is part of Willamette Week’s Ballot Buddy, special coverage of the 2024 election. Learn more about Voting Buddies.
