The fight to represent Portland’s 'most disillusioned voters'

The Candidates Vying To Represent East Portland

East Portland, long neglected and underrepresented on the City Council, epitomizes the reasons for Portland's government change. But who are the current slate of leading candidates? And what election promises are they making? [City Cast Portland 🎧]

SEIU Takes 'Don’t Rank Rene' Approach

In a decision that’s telegraphed faltering confidence in mayoral candidate Carmen Rubio, the politically powerful SEIU Local 49 endorsed two additional mayoral candidates last week: Mingus Mapps and Keith Wilson. The union kept their endorsement of Rubio, insisting the new endorsements were related to the new ranked-choice voting system, not to revelations about Rubio’s parking tickets and driving record. [Willamette Week]

Downtown Retains eBay but Not Other Tech Companies

The tech company eBay renewed its downtown lease and Amazon’s Portland office will now require five days a week in the office. But Portland has lost a bunch of tech employers: Jama Software, Jive Software, Puppet Labs, and Simple have all laid off workers or closed altogether. [Oregonian 🔒]

With 20 days until Election Day, Oregon ballots start going out by mail today.

Naturally, there’s a lot of focus on the presidential election, which hangs in the balance — on razor-thin margins in half a dozen swing states. Not here.

In the Portland metro area, there are still local races that will have a key impact on national politics. Republicans and Democrats are fighting for control of Congress, with money pouring in from the national parties. The U.S. Senate is expected to flip from a Democratic to a Republican majority. But the fight to control the U.S. House of Representatives is hard-fought: 26 races are considered tossups, with one right here in Oregon.

Oregon’s District 5

The district which runs from Portland’s Sellwood neighborhood to the city of Bend is one of the few Republican-held seats where Biden won in 2020. In her first term in Congress, Republican Chavez-DeRemer has tried to tread a moderate path. But at the same time, she’s endorsed former President Donald Trump.

🗳️ Who’s on the Ballot

• 🟥 U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the Republican incumbent
• 🟦 State Rep. Janelle Bynum, the Democratic challenger

🗞️ Inside Scoop

Bynum defeated Chavez-DeRemer in two races for the Oregon House, but this district covers a different geographic area. Bynum is criticizing Chavez-DeRemer’s support for a national abortion ban during her last campaign, while Chavez-DeRemer is attacking Bynum for her support of legislation to hold police accountable.

📖 Further reading:

• “Is there room for a non-MAGA Republican in Trump’s GOP?” [LA Times]
• “Oregon’s most consequential race for Congress draws national attention” [Oregonian]
• There are a series of issues affecting the district, including the urban-rural divide, wildfires, and housing. [OPB]