On May 19, 2020, and November 3, 2020, elections were held in Portland, Oregon, to elect the mayor.
In Portland local elections, all voters are eligible to participate. All candidates are listed on the ballot without any political party affiliation. All candidates meeting the qualifications competed in a blanket primary election on Tuesday, May 19, 2020. As no candidate received an absolute majority, a runoff election between the top two candidates was scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Voters could also choose to write-in candidates.
In the general election, Portland voters also elected members of their City Commission and voted on local ballot initiatives.
Candidates
Candidates who advanced to runoff CandidateExperienceAnnouncedReferencesThe following candidates advanced to the runoff election on April 2Ted Wheeler53rd Mayor of Portland, OregonFormer Oregon State TreasurerSarah IannaroneCommunity ActivistUrban Policy Consultant
Candidates eliminated in the first round CandidateExperienceAnnouncedReferencesThe following candidates were eliminated in the first round and did not advance to the runoff electionTeressa RaifordFounder of Don't Shoot PortlandBruce BroussardHost of Oregon Voter Digest on PBSOzzie GonzalezArchitect and Sustainability ConsultantPiper CrowellDirector of Global Digital and Innovation Policy at Nike, Inc.Suspended campaign March 25, 2020Randy RapaportReal Estate DeveloperEducational PsychologistMark WhiteCo-chair of the Portland City Charter CommissionCash CarterFormer Portland Timbers team chef
Candidates who received fewer than 1,000 votes
Willie Banks, community advocate Jarred Bepristis, bartender Daniel Hoffman, homeless rights activist Lew Humble, retired mechanic, perennial candidate Michael Jenkins, cannabis grower Sharon Joy, retired community advocate Floyd LaBar, yoga teacher Beryl McNair, retired Federal government employee, candidate for Portland Mayor in 2008 Michael O'Callaghan, homeless rights activist and candidate for Alaska governor in 1990 Mark White, program manager Michael Burleson, community leader, activist, attorney at law (Suspended)
Declined to run
Diego Hernandez, representative for Oregon's 47th House district Jessica Vega Pederson, Multnomah County commissioner
Endorsements
Polling Runoff
Poll sourceDate(s) administeredSample sizeMargin of errorTed WheelerSarah IannaroneWrite InUndecidedDHM Research/OPBOctober 7–11, 2020400 (LV)±4.9%33%34%6%28%DHM Research/Portland Business AllianceSeptember 17–22, 2020 – (LV)±4%30%41%16%13%Public Policy PollingJune 17–18, 2020992 (V)±3.1%33%32% –35%
Debates
Primary + 2020 Portland, Oregon mayoral election primary debate Date Host Moderator Link Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Nonpartisan NonpartisanKey: Participant Absent Not invited Invited Withdrawn Ozzie González Sarah Iannarone Teressa Raiford Ted Wheeler1 Mar. 30, 2020 City Club of Portland Serilda Summers-McGee YouTube
Runoff + 2020 Portland, Oregon mayoral election runoff debate Date Host Moderator Link Nonpartisan NonpartisanKey: Participant Absent Not invited Invited Withdrawn Ted Wheeler Sarah Iannarone1 Oct. 15, 2020 City Club of Portland Dana Haynes YouTube
Results
Primary
Runoff Since no candidate received a simple majority (50% plus one) vote in the primary election, the two candidates who received the most votes (Wheeler and Iannarone) ran again in the general election on November 3, 2020. Iannarone, who had finished third in the 2016 mayoral election, was campaigning on a progressive platform emphasizing urbanism and taking a stronger stand against police violence.
The police murder of George Floyd and resulting protests occurred only two weeks after the first round of the mayoral election, and led to significant protest activity in Portland that continued throughout 2020. These events led supporters of third-place candidate Teressa Raiford to begin mounting a write-in campaign on her behalf, arguing that she more authentically represented the energy of the street protests.
Wheeler won the election, becoming Portland's first mayor to win a second consecutive term since Vera Katz left office in 2005. Ultimately, almost 48,000 write-in votes were cast in the election, far exceeding Wheeler's approximately 20,000-vote margin of victory.
Notes Partisan clients
References
External links
City of Portland Resources Registry of Candidates – May 19, 2020 Primary Election Open and Accountable Elections Program: 2020 Qualifying Candidates
Candidate Campaign Websites Sarah Iannarone for Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler for Portland Mayor
Interviews Portland Mayor’s Race Pits Wheeler Against Two Prominent Community Activists