Who's Running for Office (and Not) in Portland?
There a few notable new candidates for office — and a couple of interesting decisions to drop out of high-profile races: Entrepreneur Keith Wilson has announced he’s joining the race for mayor.
There are a few notable new candidates for office — and a couple of interesting decisions to drop out of high-profile races:
A Private-Sector Mayoral Candidate
Entrepreneur Keith Wilson has announced he’s joining the race for mayor. His trucking company Titan Freight Systems operates an electric fleet, which has eliminated “94 percent of fossil fuels” from its trucking in Oregon. His competition includes three current members of City Council. [Portland Mercury]
- Also: Wilson works on housing issues through the nonprofit Shelter Now. [Bike Portland]
- And he ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 2020. [Oregonian]
Congressional Candidate Dropouts
Metro President Lynn Peterson dropped out of the Democratic primary for U.S. District 5. She endorsed State Rep. Janelle Bynum, who scored a key endorsement from Gov. Tina Kotek and now has an easier path to victory. Still, Bynum faces a potentially competitive primary against lawyer Jamie McLeod-Skinner, who won the Democratic primary for the seat in 2022. [Willamette Week]
- Related: A former Republican state lawmaker, Denyc Boles, dropped out of the primary for District 6. That makes Republican Mike Erickson the likely opponent for first term U.S. Congresswoman Andrea Salinas. That might be good news for Salinas, who beat Erickson in 2022. [Oregon Capital Chronicle]
A New Treasurer Candidate
Ashland’s state senator, Jeff Golden, is officially vying to be the Democratic nominee for state treasurer. He’ll face fellow senator, Elizabeth Steiner, and Jeff Gudman, a former city councilman from Lake Oswego who has run previously as a Republican. The current treasurer, Tobias Read, faces term limits and is running for Secretary of State. [Oregon Capital Chronicle]
More about Local Civics
$106M in Unspent Funds at the Portland Housing Bureau
The Portland Housing Bureau has $106 million in unspent funds, the city administrator disclosed late last week. Some of it may be spoken for, but it leaves open the question of how City Council will spend the funds. When the pot of unspent funds was believed to be only $21 million, City Council was divided over whether to spend it on rent assistance or a Prosper Portland housing project. Maybe all of the above are possible now. [Portland Mercury]
City Cast Portland staffFeb 10, 2026
The Gas Tax and Oregon's Legislative Session
State lawmakers convene in Salem next week after a chaotic few weeks for Democratic state leaders as they scramble to address the issue of transportation funding. They have a key problem: Voters appear to oppose the gas tax passed last fall.
City Cast Portland staffJan 28, 2026
US Sen. Wyden Explains His Votes To Arm Israel
Oregon’s U.S. senators usually vote the same way (like for continuing the government shutdown until healthcare costs are addressed). But a key exception in recent months was Sen. Ron Wyden’s support for continued arms sales to Israel while Sen. Jeff Merkley voted to oppose them. Wyden’s support came up again last weekend — at a Portland Book Festival event featuring Omar Al Ekkad, author of “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This” (a title you may recognize as “the one book every Portlander should read right now”).
City Cast Portland staffNov 12, 2025