Oregon
19 mayoral candidates compete to lead Portland, Oregon, in a race with homelessness at its heart
A lot of political changes are coming to Portland, Oregon.
The open mayoral race in the state’s most populous city features 19 candidates — all vying to lead after years of growing frustration over homeless encampments. Among them: three City Council members, including one ensnared in a driving record scandal; a stripper; and a trucking company CEO vowing to end unsheltered homelessness in 12 months.
The race was thrown open when Mayor Ted Wheeler decided against seeking reelection after holding the city’s top post since 2017. Wheeler rose to national prominence in 2020 as nightly protests erupted on Portland streets and around the country in response to the the police killing of George Floyd.
Whoever wins the mayoral seat will oversee a completely new system of government. Portland is expanding its City Council from five to 12 members, who will be elected by voters in individual districts rather than citywide, and adding a city manager position. And all the candidates — including the nearly 100 running for the new council seats — will be elected by ranked-choice voting for the first time.
Changing Portland’s charter had been on the ballot before, but failed until voters approved the overhaul in 2022. The most recent charter review kicked off amid the 2020 protests and a nationwide reckoning with racism that prompted conversations about making government more accountable and equitable.
Opening the door for more diversity
Numerous candidates of color are now running for the new council seats and mayor in the majority-white city. But it’s still unclear how voters, and those elected, will navigate the new system and its logistics.
“I don’t think that anyone has a really clear sense of exactly how things are going to work immediately after this election,” said Chris Shortell, associate professor of political science at Portland State University.
There are a few constants in this year’s campaign, however — concerns over homelessness and public drug use. Surveys conducted over the past few years have shown that Portland residents view homelessness as a top issue, said John Horvick, senior vice president of polling firm DHM Research.
“The key issues remain the key issues,” said Horvick. “Those continue to be the organizing principles of Portland politics and will certainly be through this election and beyond.”
City council members Rene Gonzalez and Carmen Rubio have led in fundraising among the mayoral candidates, along with Keith Wilson, whose freight company includes electric trucks. They’ve presented different visions for reducing homelessness in a metro area where a January 2023 count found nearly 4,000 people living unsheltered.
Differing approaches to homelessness
Gonzalez, who is endorsed by law enforcement groups, pressured Multnomah County, home to Portland, to pause giving tents and tarps to homeless people. He has pushed for stricter enforcement of anti-camping rules.
Rubio has called for more outreach workers and improved coordination between the players in the homelessness response system, such as shelters and social service groups.
Wilson, who founded a nonprofit working to increase homeless shelter capacity, has pledged to end unsheltered homelessness in his first year on the job. His campaign website says he’ll accomplish this ambitious goal in part by increasing the number of nighttime walk-in emergency shelters in existing facilities such as churches and community centers.
The three leading fundraisers are followed by City Council member Mingus Mapps, as well as Liv Østhus, a writer, musician and stripper whose stage name is Viva Las Vegas.
Mapps, whose campaign has struggled to gain momentum, is hoping to become Portland’s first Black mayor. If either he, or Rubio or Gonzalez — who have Latino heritage — are elected, it would mark the first time a person of color has led the city.
For much of the year, Rubio and Gonzalez were viewed as frontrunners. But recent revelations about Rubio’s driving record — as well as Gonzalez’s, to a much lesser extent — have shaken up the race.
Frontrunners confront revelations over driving
Rubio has received roughly 150 parking and traffic violations over the last two decades. She failed to pay many of them for months or even years and had her license suspended six times. She lost some endorsements following the news, which was first reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive.
“The best I can do at this point is to say again that I’m very sorry, and that earning Portlanders’ trust back is an ongoing commitment I take very seriously,” Rubio said in an emailed statement.
Gonzalez also had his license suspended twice over 20 years ago and racked up seven speeding tickets between 1998 and 2013, including one that was dismissed, as first reported by Willamette Week.
“As a younger man, I sometimes drove too fast,” Gonzalez said in an emailed statement. “But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more responsible and it is reflected in my record.”
The news about driving records has created an opportunity for Wilson, who has never held elected office, said Shortell, the Portland State professor.
“What looked like it was going to be a straightforward race has shifted in recent weeks into a little bit more open-ended race,” he said. “That has, when combined with the ranked-choice voting system, opened some space for Keith Wilson.”
Under ranked-choice voting, voters rank their picks in order of preference on the ballot. If a candidate is the first choice of more than 50% of voters in the first round of counting, that candidate wins.
Otherwise, the count continues to a second round. The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and voters who chose that candidate as their top pick have their votes redistributed to their next choice. The process continues with the candidate with the fewest votes getting eliminated until someone emerges with a majority of votes.
If Rubio and Gonzalez end up splitting voters, Wilson could be a second choice for enough voters to potentially advance, Shortell said.
The new voting system, new form of government, and sheer number of people running for office represent a lot of moving parts for both candidates and voters, and it may take multiple election cycles for City Hall and residents to get a clear sense of how things work, Shortell said.
“Right now it’s a new system, and everyone is trying to figure out what it means,” he said. “And that’s the nature of change.”
James Denny named Sublimity in 1852 after one look at the scenery, and the view still earns it. Green farmland meets the foothills of the Cascades and the streets stay short enough that the local baker knows you by the second visit. Saint Boniface Catholic Church anchors the town with a Carpenter Gothic steeple from 1889. Silver Falls State Park sits 10 miles east and is Oregon’s largest state park, with ten waterfalls along a single loop trail and old-growth Douglas firs over 300 feet tall. Together those four things explain why Sublimity earns the friendliest-small-town title in Oregon.
Sublimity’s History In A Nutshell
Native American trails and mountain streams crisscrossed what would become Sublimity well before settler arrival. The area worked as a small trading post and then a pioneer gathering place by 1852, when a post office opened and James Denny named the town after the surrounding scenery. The first school went up in 1856, followed by Sublimity College in 1857. The town was larger then than it is now. The Civil War triggered a sharp population decline as settlers returned east to fight and many farms were abandoned. New residents brought the farms back to life by 1874. Four years later a grid was laid out across twenty blocks, and Sublimity officially incorporated in 1903.
Downtown Sublimity
Downtown holds plenty for an afternoon stroll. On South Center Street, K’s Coffee runs deep couches and good coffee for sitting and chatting. PanezaNellie Breadstick Shoppe on NE Starr Street covers baked goods including pizza slices. The Wooden Nickel on North Center Street sells homemade bread and fresh produce from local farms.
After meeting a few of the regulars in the shops, walk over to 375 SE Church Street for Saint Boniface Catholic Church. The church was built in 1889 in the Carpenter Gothic style with a 110-foot steeple, and the grounds include the historic St. Boniface cemetery on one side.
Outdoor Activities
Silver Falls State Park is the area’s outdoor answer. The park sits 10 miles east of Sublimity and is Oregon’s largest state park at around 9,200 acres. It sits in the state’s temperate rainforest zone with waterfalls and old-growth trees. A $10 day-use parking fee covers hiking trails, picnic sites, biking paths, and camping access. The Trail of Ten Falls is the headliner, a 7.2-mile loop that passes ten waterfalls. The trail stays open year-round, runs at its fullest in spring, and pulls fall foliage crowds in October.
Beyond the falls, the 6-mile Catamount Trail handles mountain biking through dense forest. Tree Climbing at Silver Falls offers guided climbs up the park’s Douglas firs, some of which top 300 feet. The campground along South Fork Silver Creek has 43 tent sites, 14 cabins, and 48 electrical sites, with ice and firewood for sale plus restrooms and showers on site. Smith Creek Village offers another stay option with cottages, cabins, and lodges plus amenities like TVs and kitchenettes.
Sublimity Events
Back in town, the calendar carries several events that double as introductions to Sublimity residents. National Night Out is one of the town’s signatures, held in partnership with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Vendors, food, and live music fill Church Park, with the event also raising awareness for community-police ties.
The other anchor event is the Night of Twinkling Lights and Tree Lighting on the first Saturday in December. The Light Parade is the headliner, with locals decorating their floats or vehicles and parading through town to City Hall, where Santa lights the town Christmas tree. The parade then moves to the fire department for photos with Santa. The next morning, people return to the fire department for the annual Candy Cane Breakfast with biscuits and gravy. The Sublimity Harvest Festival in September is the other big event, with monster trucks, pull events, an entertainment tent, and a row of vendors.
Where To Stay In Sublimity
Sublimity has a way of stretching a quick visit into a two-day stay. The Bridgeway Inn and Suites offers continental breakfast and free Wi-Fi for the overnight crowd. The Rodeway Inn and Suites is the other option, with free breakfast, Wi-Fi, a pool, and a fitness center.
Why Sublimity Earns The Name
Sublimity walks the walk on friendliness. The local baker treats you like family before pointing you to the next shop for whatever else you need. A sidewalk hello can turn into the best conversation of the week. Whether you are cheering at a monster truck event or watching Santa light the town tree, the unpretentious warmth this place runs on gets harder to find anywhere else.
Learn about the Salem Saturday Market
The first Salem Saturday Market of 2026 opened March 7, featuring vendors offering handmade goods, fresh produce, baked items and artisan foods.
The Food and Drug Administration announced that Organic ice cream sold in Oregon is being recalled over concerns that the products could contain metal fragments.
California-based Straus Family Creamery issued a voluntary recall on May 14 for select flavors of its Organic Super Premium Ice Cream after identifying the possible contamination issue.
The recalled products were distributed to stores in Oregon and 16 other states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.
Which flavors are being recalled?
Affected flavors include vanilla bean, strawberry, Dutch chocolate, mint chip and cookie dough in multiple container sizes.
The recalled ice cream can be identified by best-by dates printed on the bottom of the containers. They include:
- Ice Cream Vanilla Bean
- Container Size: Pint
- Best By Date: December 23, 2026; December 28, 2026
- UPC: 7-84830-10030-6
- Ice Cream Strawberry
- Container Size: Quart
- Best By Date: December 24, 2026
- UPC: 7-84830-10097-9
- Ice Cream Strawberry
- Container Size: Pint
- Best By Date: December 25, 2026
- UPC: 7-84830-10095-5
- Ice Cream Cookie Dough
- Container Size: Pint
- Best By Date: December 26, 2026
- UPC: 7-84830-10104-4
- Ice Cream Dutch Chocolate
- Container Size: Quart
- Best By Date: December 27, 2026
- UPC: 7-84830-10012-2
- Ice Cream Mint Chip
- Container Size: Pint
- Best By Date: December 30, 2026
- UPC: 7-84830-10050-4
What should Oregonian do with their recalled ice cream?
Oregon consumers are urged not to eat the recalled ice cream. The company said the products should not be returned to the store but instead should be thrown away. Customers can then fill out a form with Straus Family Creamery for a replacement voucher by visiting strausfamilycreamery.com/recall/.
For questions, Oregonians can contact Straus Family Creamery at support@strausmilk.com or 1-707-776-2887.
Ginnie Sandoval is the Oregon Connect reporter for the Statesman Journal. Sandoval is a lifelong Oregonian who covers trending news, entertainment, food and outdoors. She can be reached at GSandoval@statesmanjournal.com or on X at @GinnieSandoval.
A night removed from winning their series opener, two uncharacteristic fielding errors and a roughshod thirteen hits doomed Oregon State against the Air Force Falcons, 9-6.
The full box score can be viewed at this link, and our game recap can be read below.
The elder statesman of Oregon State’s pitching rotation, junior righty Eric Segura, forced a pair of groundouts to keep the top of the first scoreless. His strong start was followed by an Oregon State run in the bottom of the first. The Beavers’ opening run started with gold glover AJ Singer, who flashed his batting prowess by pinging a double to the warning track. Singer scored on a Paul Vasquez slash through 5.5 hole, and Oregon State led 1-0.
Air Force batters went down in order to begin the second inning. Their short stint at the plate was followed by another successful Oregon State frame. With one out and no one on, Josh Procter swung at the first pitch he saw. After his ball landed 399 feet away, Oregon State doubled their advantage.
As one might expect, the Air Force cadets showed perseverance against adversity and calmness under pressure. In the third inning, they seized the lead. Their four run rally started with a pair of singles. Then facing one out and runners at the corners, Falcons’ senior Ben Niednagel drew a walk to load the bases. The next man up, 2026 Preseason All-Mountain West catcher Walker Zapp slugged a bases-clearing double. With Oregon State suddenly trailing, pitching coach Rich Dorman met his starter Segura at the mound. After the meeting, a fielding error by first baseman Ethan Porter returned runners to the corners, and then Air Force senior Tripp Garrish reached on a fielder’s choice, inching Zapp home from third.
Singer answered with a solo homer in the bottom of the inning. His shot traveled 407 feet, and landed a few yards to the left of Goss Stadium’s batter’s eye. As if they were awoken by the blast, Oregon State roared back to life: with Porter on base after getting hit by a pitch, Vasquez singled, and then Bryce Hubbard rolled a tough groundout to short, moving both runners into scoring position. Following an Air Force pitching change, Adam Haight sent a one-hopper into the grass beyond second base. While the sophomore outfielder was thrown out trying to reach first, his effort scored Porter from third, tying the game 4-4.
Again, the Falcons responded. After Air Force loaded the bases, their senior two-batter Niednagel forced a fielding error on a sharply hit grounder to Singer at second. When the dust settled, two runs scored. In the ensuing moments, Oregon State pulled Segura off the mound, replacing him with 6’2″ righty Zach Edwards.
Segura, a key factor in Oregon State’s sweep of Long Beach State last weekend, struggled mightily tonight. When his shift ended after 3 and 1/3 innings, he had allowed 7 hits and 4 earned runs. The top of the fourth finished with his successor Edwards stranding two runners, while Oregon State clawed closer in the bottom frame thanks to a pair of wild pitches moving Tyler Inge across the bases.
However, the one-run margin wouldn’t last for long. Facing a 2-2 count with no outs in the top of the fifth inning, Air Force’s senior Garrish smoked a high, middle fastball. Once his strike returned to Earth, the cadets led 7-5.
Scoring stalled until the top of the seventh. Oregon State’s reliever Edwards cruised for 2 and 2/3, until a pair of singles invited his pitching coach to the mound, who called for another change. Out went Edwards, and in came Washington transfer Isaac Yeager. The consistently reliable 6’6″ right hander – with 40 strikeouts and just 22 hits allowed across 33 innings – couldn’t stop the bleeding tonight. His first batter faced, Tripp, delivered another Air Force run home on a slow roller up the middle.
Oregon State climbed closer in the bottom of the seventh, after Bryson Glassco singled up the middle, delivering the Huntington Beach native Porter home from second base. The base hit also placed Vasquez in a threatening position at third base, but a Haight groundout stranded Oregon State’s runner ninety feet away from the promised land.
Air Force denied the Beavers once again in the bottom of the eighth. Tying runner Easton Talt faced a 1-2 count with 2 outs and a teammate on first base. In one of the game’s biggest moments, Falcons’ reliever Gaines Estridge offered a sky-high outside fastball. Talt swung tight, striking out, and stranding the runner at first.
The cadets tacked on one more run in the top of the ninth, when center fielder Christian Taylor beat out a throw across the diamond, helping Walker Zapp race from third. Entering the bottom of the ninth, the Beavers needed three runs to tie. Unfortunately, Falcons’ closer Patrick Davidson struck out the side.
The loss snapped Oregon State’s eight game win streak, and moved their overall record to 42-12. More importantly, their postseason fate is now in jeopardy. The three-time national champions entered the weekend needing a sweep to solidify their RPI before the regular season ends. Tonight’s defeat – following a pattern of upset losses to Portland, UTRGV, Cal State Fullerton, and CSUN – puts a hypothetical Corvallis Regional host site at the mercy of the selection committee.
Oregon State concludes its regular season tomorrow afternoon against Air Force, with first pitch scheduled for 1:35 PM PST at Goss Stadium in Corvallis. The game broadcast will be televised on Portland’s CW, and radio play-by-play can be heard across the state on Beavers Sports Network affiliate stations.
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