"It's gonna be us."

Much has been said about how Portland’s new electoral system encouraged friendlier, more collaborative campaigning.

Few candidates, however, worked as closely together as Tiffany Koyama Lane and Angelita Morillo. Were they Portland’s first example of a successful candidate slate?

Tune in to Episode 9 of Stump Talk and decide for yourself.

Councilor-Elect Tiffany Koyama Lane recounts the moment her friendship with fellow candidate Angelita Morillo began to take shape. The two women, both running for seats in District 3, had just given remarks at a candidate forum.

“Angelita grabbed my hand and was like, ‘We're gonna do this. It's gonna be us. We're gonna win.’ I remember I got chills and I was like, ‘I just met you, and I’m not sure if that’s true, but I kind of believe what you’re saying,’” says Koyama Lane, a public school teacher and organizer for the Portland Association of Teachers.

“I told Tiffany that even if I lost and she won, I’d be happy, because I would be excited to be represented by her,” says Morillo, an anti-hunger advocate who runs a popular political TikTok channel. “To me, it was a no-brainer because even if one of us won and the other didn’t, that would still be a success for the district.”

An Evolving Alliance

Roughly a year later, both women have been elected, after campaigning as what appeared to many onlookers as a candidate slate.

“It probably did turn into that,” Koyama Lane says. “By the end, we were door-knocking for each other, and our volunteers were doing the same. But there wasn’t a clear moment where we said, ‘Okay, now we’re making this decision [to run as a slate].’”

Morillo says their alignment became increasingly clear as they began receiving overlapping support from interest groups, often appearing on the same endorsement slates from progressive and labor organizations.

During the critical weeks leading up to the election, their campaigns coordinated canvassing efforts and sent a joint mailer to voters. Morillo shared their alliance with her over 35,000 TikTok followers. Whether through social media videos or neighborhood canvassing, their message was the same: rank us first and second.

Yet both say not everyone was convinced their partnership was a winning strategy.

“We had many people telling us to turn against each other because only one progressive woman of color could succeed in the district,” Morillo says. “That wasn’t true. Solidarity was always the answer.”

Running As BIPOC, Progressive Women

On the campaign trail, Koyama Lane and Morillo often spoke about the kinship they felt running as young, progressive women of color. Koyama Lane is a fourth-generation Japanese American, while Morillo immigrated to the United States from Paraguay as a child.

“I watched everything my mom had to go through to provide a better life for us,” says Morillo, who experienced a period of homelessness. “I understand what it means not to have access to government services and not know where to find them. I’m excited to bring that perspective to City Hall because I think so often we treat people like they’re not experts in their own experience.”

Both women have been described by the media as left-leaning, a characterization they say is accurate. Their platforms emphasized affordability, support for working families, and assistance for individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

“I was open on the campaign trail about being a BIPOC, working mom who sees herself as outside of the political inner circle,” says Koyama Lane, who will be the first Asian American woman to serve on Portland City Council.

“My hope is that more moms, more people who are Asian American, more rank-and-file union members, will see me and think, ‘Oh, maybe I can do this too’.”

A Trio to Represent District 3

Koyama Lane and Morillo will serve as District 3’s representatives alongside former City Commissioner Steve Novick, who held a seat on Portland City Council from 2013 to 2017. While the women expect to disagree with Novick on some key issues—for example, Novick supports arresting individuals who repeatedly refuse available shelter, while Morillo and Koyama Lane do not—they express optimism about the relationship.

“I think we’re going to make each other’s policies better and stronger,” Morillo says. “I appreciate having the perspective of someone who has done this before, who’s done some things really well and also made some mistakes.”

Koyama Lane echoes the sentiment:

“Steve, since I’ve met him, has taken me seriously, has listened to me, has looked me in the eyes. I’ve met some folks who were previously elected who just seemed to look right through me and not take me seriously. Steve seems on board with wanting to listen to us.”

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Stump Talk is edited and produced by Jon Garcia of Lake Productions.