PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has thrown her support behind Carmen Rubio as the city commissioner attempts to come out on top in an increasingly competitive race for Portland mayor in November.
“Carmen Rubio has a track record of getting results," Kotek said in a statement shared by Rubio's campaign. "She’s focused on what matters — cleaning up the city, getting people into shelter and affordable housing, and bringing back the city we all love. We can count on her to deliver the kind of change Portland urgently needs."
As of Wednesday, there were seven candidates for Portland mayor who had filed an intent to run with the city's Small Donor Elections program, three of them sitting members of the city council: Rubio, Mingus Mapps and Rene Gonzalez. Keith Wilson, Durrell Kinsey Bey, Liv Osthus and Marshall Runkel round out the field. An eighth candidate, Nancy Congdon, appeared on the Oregon Secretary of State's website for campaign filings as of June 24.
Rubio's website lists perhaps the most extensive list of endorsements of anyone in the field, including former Gov. Kate Brown, former Portland Mayor Tom Potter, Metro President Lynn Peterson, and a long roster of other current and former legislators and local officials.
Gonzalez's campaign announced Tuesday that he'd received endorsements from Portland's two major public safety unions, the Portland Police Association (PPA) and Portland Fire Fighters' Association Local 43.
“As a city, we deeply value a woven public safety model connected to community and accessible to all. We have seen positive momentum towards pragmatic solutions that are moving our city forward," said Aaron Schmautz, PPA president. "It is critical that we continue to foster new ideas and courageous leadership. The PPA endorses Rene Gonzalez for Mayor because he has demonstrated these qualities and is best suited to lead us forward.”
The campaign website for Gonzalez otherwise does not list endorsements.
STRAIGHT TALK: Rene Gonzalez discusses how he would tackle Portland's public safety challenges as mayor
Wilson, who has emerged as something of a dark horse candidate in the race, lists endorsements from Lake Oswego Mayor Joe Buck, Hillsboro Mayor Steve Callaway, Metro Councilor Ashton Simpson, two state representatives and a number of other prominent individuals.
Osthus's website shows endorsements from several local business owners. Mapps' website does not list endorsements; neither does Kinsey Bey's site. Marshall Runkel does not appear to have a campaign website, and neither does Nancy Congdon.
STRAIGHT TALK: Mingus Mapps talks police, homelessness and running for mayor under Portland's new system of government
The latest campaign finance filings with the state of Oregon reveal more about the shape of the race. In terms of cash on hand, Gonzalez has maintained a significant lead — due in large part to his significant war chest left over from last year, which alone totaled nearly $69,000. This year, he's received another $85,573.50 in cash and in-kind donations.
But Rubio has slightly outmatched Gonzalez in fundraising this year, pulling in $86,693 on top of her much more modest $6,600 from last year.
Despite his relatively lower profile coming into the race, Wilson has amassed $65,448.99 in contributions this year.
Significantly lower down in the rankings are Mapps and Osthus, raising $20,931 and $19,579.80 respectively. But Mapps' campaign in particular has been in trouble for months, with the latest campaign filings showing that he owes $17,000 to vendors and has outspent his total contributions.
Of the final three, only Kinsey Bey has reported contributions and expenditures of any kind, having raised $445 and spent the same amount, plus nine cents.
Candidates have 30 days to file transactions with the state before September 1, which means these fundraising figures could be as much as a month behind where things stand for each candidate.