PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Commissioner Carmen Rubio announced Tuesday morning that she'll run for mayor of Portland in 2024.
She's the third city commissioner to announce a mayoral campaign, joining Mingus Mapps and Rene Gonzalez. Commissioner Dan Ryan said he doesn't plan to run for mayor. Current Mayor Ted Wheeler said in September of last year that he won't seek re-election.
Rubio, 50, is the first Latina woman to serve on Portland City Council. If elected in November, she'd be Portland's fourth female mayor. Elected in 2020, Rubio said she's launching her mayoral campaign because she's seen first-hand what the city needs from its mayor.
"I made my decision with the full recognition of where we are as a city. And we need a mayor who will take responsibility for the way forward. One with a track record of building bridges, focusing our city's energy into a force for change, and getting results," Carmen said in a news release. "Portlanders deserve a mayor who will take us into our future without drama – just hard, collaborative work, especially on community safety, homelessness and housing. That's how I've led as a Commissioner, and how I will do so as Portland's next mayor. This is our opportunity to do so much more."
Portland government will see a major change in how it functions after the next election. Voters will not only bring in a new mayor, but in a change to the city's form of government, the city council will also expand from four citywide seats to 12 elected from four districts.
Rubio said she's ready for the challenges and opportunities the change will present.
"I know that Portland's best days are still ahead – that solutions are within reach. When government, nonprofits, businesses, and individual Portlanders work together, we can do amazing things for our amazing city," Carmen said in a news release. "And building a vibrant, thriving, and economically healthy Portland must include all of our neighborhoods and communities aligned and moving forward in the same direction."
For the first two years of her time on city council, Rubio oversaw Portland's planning and climate work, parks and recreation, and arts and culture work. For the past year, she's also taken over leadership of the city's efforts to expand housing and revitalize the economy.
The Rubio campaign said she has endorsements from former Mayor Tom Potter, former Commissioner Mike Lindberg, metro councilors Juan Carlos Gonzalez and Duncan Hwang, state senators Michael Dembrow and Kayse Jama, state representatives Rob Nosse and Andrea Valderrama, former state representative Ben Cannon and former PPS school board member Martin Gonzalez.
