2020 Portland, Oregon, mayoral election

On May 19, 2020 and November 3, 2020, elections were held in Portland, Oregon, to elect the mayor.

In Portland local elections, 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 19, 2020. As no candidate received an absolute majority, a runoff election between the top two candidates was scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Voters could also choose to write-in candidates.

In the General Election, Portland voters also elected members of their City Commission and voted on local ballot initiatives.

Candidates who received fewer than 1,000 votes

 * Willie Banks, community advocate
 * Jarred Bepristis, bartender
 * Daniel Hoffman, homeless rights activist
 * Lew Humble, retired mechanic, perennial candidate
 * Michael Jenkins, cannabis grower
 * Sharon Joy, retired community advocate
 * Floyd LaBar, yoga teacher
 * Beryl McNair, retired Federal government employee, candidate for Portland Mayor in 2008
 * Michael O'Callaghan, homeless rights activist and candidate for Alaska governor in 1990
 * Mark White, program manager
 * Michael Burleson, community leader, activist, attorney at law (Suspended)

Declined to run

 * Diego Hernandez, representative for Oregon's 47th House district
 * Jessica Vega Pederson, Multnomah County commissioner

Runoff
Since no candidate received a simple majority (50% plus one) vote in the primary election, the two candidates who received the most votes (Wheeler and Iannarone) ran again in the general election on November 3, 2020. Iannarone, who had finished third in the 2016 mayoral election, was campaigning on a progressive platform emphasizing urbanism and taking a stronger stand against police violence.

The police murder of George Floyd and resulting protests occurred only two weeks after the first round of the mayoral election, and led to significant protest activity in Portland that continued throughout 2020. These events led supporters of third-place candidate Teressa Raiford to begin mounting a write-in campaign on her behalf, arguing that she more authentically represented the energy of the street protests.

Wheeler won the election, becoming Portland's first mayor to win a second consecutive term since Vera Katz left office in 2005. Ultimately, almost 48,000 write-in votes were cast in the election, far exceeding Wheeler's approximately 20,000-vote margin of victory.

City of Portland Resources

 * Registry of Candidates – May 19, 2020 Primary Election
 * Open and Accountable Elections Program: 2020 Qualifying Candidates

Candidate Campaign Websites

 * Sarah Iannarone for Portland Mayor
 * Ted Wheeler for Portland Mayor

Interviews

 * Portland Mayor’s Race Pits Wheeler Against Two Prominent Community Activists