Portland Voters—Flooded with Candidates, Parched for Information

A reflection on the unique challenges of the historic 2024 Portland election.

The French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre once famously said, "We are our choices."

That’s true for elections as well—and no election in our lifetimes has given us more choices than Portland’s historic 2024 election.

Over the past thirteen months, I’ve tracked the booming candidate pool on my blog and our proprietary website Rose City Reform. Why? Because when Portland’s reform measure passed, it became clear that this election would bring an unprecedented opportunity to reshape City Hall. Fourteen open seats, combined with our new three-winner districts, caused political veterans and newcomers alike to flock to the ballot.

The effect? Exactly what was intended: more choice for Portland voters. And with it—a voter information problem unlike anything we’ve seen in Rose City politics.

Everything All At Once

By “voter information problem”, I mean the difficulty voters face accessing enough relevant information to make their decisions.

This week, Portlanders will start receiving their ballots. For many, it’s going to be like opening a new ketchup bottle: nothing, nothing—then everything at once. In Districts 3 and 4, voters will face 30 names just in their council race. While Rose City Reform readers may recognize many of the names, most voters will be encountering this vast field for the first time.

In an election cycle that’s already lasted over a year for many candidates, why don’t we know more about them? In part, it’s because city candidates no longer compete in the primary election, a springtime tradition that engages 30–60% of Multnomah County voters depending on the election year. But while nixing the primary is a factor, a more impactful reason is the media’s sparse coverage of council races.

The Information Problem Versus the Fairness Problem

It’s not bias or a lack of interest that keeps local journalists from writing about district candidates. Rather, it’s a matter of journalistic bandwidth and ethics. With 98 candidates vying for council seats, media outlets are stumped on how to cover them equitably. As a result, the focus remains largely on the mayoral race, where 19 candidates—only a handful of whom are serious contenders—dominate the spotlight. Yet, in the grand scheme of things, that race is less consequential for Portland’s future than the 12 vacant district seats, given the council’s policymaking power.

The result is growing frustration from candidates and voters alike—and, I suspect, for journalists too. Candidates with ambitious and well-researched policy proposals struggle to find the time and place to present them to voters. Even those who’ve raised over $100,000 and secured dozens of endorsements have a tough time getting noticed.

Everyone on Stage—but No Spotlight

Some influential newsrooms, like The Oregonian and OPB, have mostly stayed away from covering individual candidates, instead favoring big-picture stories or candidate questionnaires. While this ensures fairness, it also means readers miss out on the context and analysis they need to make informed decisions, and candidates lose a critical platform to showcase their qualifications.

In both media and community settings, the quest for fairness has come at the cost of meaningful debates, where candidates could have hashed out their ideas in front of voters. Crowded forums with strict time limits often feel like all-cast performances, where both the actors and the audience are left yearning for a solo.

Who Makes the Cut?

To reduce information overload, many media outlets and event organizers have set participation criteria for candidate forums. Such approaches often rely on qualification for Portland’s public campaign financing program as a measure of a candidate’s viability. However, to avoid the appearance of “pay-to-play,” many organizations focus on the number of individual contributions rather than total fundraising amounts.

While contribution volume may seem a fairer sorting criterion than total funds raised, any selection process based solely on fundraising ignores an important indicator of support: endorsements. For example, Elana Pirtle-Guiney was notably absent from KATU’s District 2 forum, despite being backed by more than 15 labor organizations and endorsed by three key coalitions: the NW Oregon Labor Council (labor), United for Portland (business), and Portland for All (social justice).

Pirtle-Guiney was not the only broadly backed candidate who missed out on the opportunity to make her pitch at the KATU forums. Other examples included Tony Morse and Eric Zimmerman in District 4, both with ample labor and business backing and endorsements from numerous elected officials.

Filtering candidates for media appearances is nothing new. What’s new is how many highly qualified candidates missed key moments like this because of the sheer size of the candidate pool—meaning voters did not get to hear from them.

Media Endorsements: A Big Win for Some, A Bitter Pill for Others

No selection process has sparked more consternation among campaigns than The Oregonian’s endorsement interviews. The newspaper recently revealed its council picks after interviewing up to six candidates per district, raising many eyebrows given the fact that Districts 3 and 4 have almost twice as many candidates as District 1.

In a letter to The Oregonian shared with Rose City Reform, District 2 candidate Mariah Hudson expressed frustration over not being considered. Hudson, who has the backing of labor unions, elected officials, and business groups, is the third-highest fundraiser in her district.

In District 4, Stan Penkin’s campaign told Rose City Reform his supporters sent over 80 emails to The Oregonian requesting he be granted an interview. Penkin, a neighborhood and arts advocate, is the district’s second-highest fundraiser and has been endorsed by all four sitting city commissioners and several business groups.

In District 3, The Oregonian notably did not interview Tiffany Koyama Lane, a teacher and union organizer who could soon become Portland’s first Asian-American councilor. As the top fundraiser across all council races, her labor-friendly platform has earned support from progressive leaders and labor and social justice organizations.

An Election Like No Other

Despite the obvious challenges of crowded district races, here’s the silver lining.

Your choices in this election, though potentially overwhelming, are pretty fantastic. Many candidates—too many, perhaps—have professional and volunteer resumes that deserve your serious consideration. A significant number have deep ties to their neighborhoods and communities. More than once, I’ve seen candidates choke up while explaining their reasons for running.

These moments aren’t planned—they are real. I’ll never forget sitting across from a candidate in a downtown Starbucks watching tears roll as he spoke of his life and candidacy. I find it hard to put into words the experience of watching so many Portlanders—many who had never before entertained political ambitions—take the daunting leap into running for office. The best way I can describe it is that it felt, and still feels, like a movement.

While no other election is likely to draw as many contenders as this one, the 2024 flood of ambition and talent makes me optimistic about the future. Yet, to maintain this level of candidate quality, we must quickly build our civic infrastructure to give candidates sufficient opportunity to make their case to Portland voters.

Why Rose City Reform Exists

Which brings me back to why I started Rose City Reform in the first place.

If you have enjoyed this newsletter over the past two and a half years, know that the reason we exist is to address the voter information problem. One quick visit to RoseCityReform.org will show you that each district offers an abundance of qualified and competitive candidates.

But don’t believe me—believe the 200+ elected officials, 40-something labor organizations, and 30-plus advocacy organizations that have endorsed in this election. By perusing our candidate profiles, where we list key endorsements and media links, you’ll begin to form an idea of what the candidates stand for, what commitments they’ve made, and who wants to send them to City Hall.

The question is: What do you want? Please give these candidates what they’ve all worked so hard for—your attention—and put them to work for you.

Trust me, they are worth it.

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