2012 Portland, Oregon, mayoral election

On Tuesday, November 6, 2012, an election was held in Portland, Oregon, to elect the mayor. Charlie Hales was elected, defeating Jefferson Smith. Incumbent mayor Sam Adams did not seek a second term.

Portland uses a nonpartisan system for local elections, in which all voters are eligible to participate. All candidates are listed on the ballot without any political party affiliation.

All candidates meeting the qualifications competed in a blanket primary election on Tuesday, May 15, 2012. As no candidate received an absolute majority, the top two finishers advanced to a runoff in the November 6 general election. In the general election, former city commissioner Charlie Hales defeated state representative Jefferson Smith with approximately 61% of the vote.

Candidates on the ballot

 * David Ackerman, mailroom operator for The Oregonian
 * Tre Arrow, environmental activist
 * Max Bauske, student at Portland Community College
 * Sam Belisle, manager at Red Robin
 * Eileen Brady, businesswoman and co-founder of New Seasons Market
 * Loren Brown, screenwriter
 * Max Brumm, college student
 * Dave Campbell, unemployed
 * Robert Carron, artist and writer
 * Bill Dant, real estate broker
 * Scott Fernandez
 * Charlie Hales, former Portland City Commissioner
 * Lew Humble, retired mechanic
 * Shonda Kelley, homemaker
 * Michael Langley, businessman
 * Blake Nieman-Davis, businessman
 * Josh Nuttall, cashier
 * Christopher Rich, media producer
 * Scott Rose, architect for DLR Group
 * Howie Rubin, insurance agent
 * Jefferson Smith, state Representative
 * Steve Sung, civil engineer
 * Cameron Whitten, Occupy Portland protester

Declined to run

 * Sam Adams, incumbent mayor
 * Earl Blumenauer, U.S. Representative
 * Jeff Cogen, Chairman of the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners
 * Jim Francesconi, former Portland City Commissioner
 * Steve Novick, political strategist and Democratic candidate for the United States Senate in 2008
 * Mike Reese, Chief of the Portland Police Bureau
 * Dan Saltzman, Portland City Commissioner

General election
The November 6 general election was a race between Charlie Hales and Jefferson Smith.