Political newcomer Mingus Mapps unseated incumbent Chloe Eudaly in the race for Portland commissioner position 4, marking the most racially diverse City Council in the history of Oregon’s largest city.
With near-final votes tallied, Mapps held a commanding lead over Eudaly of 56% to 43% as of 8:45 a.m. Wednesday.
The victory came in Mapps’ first bid for elected office and made him the third Black man ever elected to the five-member City Council. He joins Commissioner-elect Carmen Rubio, the city’s first Latinx council member, who was elected in May to succeed Commissioner Amanda Fritz, and Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, who became the first Black woman elected to the council two years ago.
Mapps, a 52-year-old former political science professor, has described himself as a “bridge builder” and Eudaly as a “bridge burner.” Among his most vocal backers are neighborhood associations, which became upset when Eudaly attempted to change their current structure. He said he has vowed to repair relationships with Portlanders who feel they have not been heard.
Mapps also has said he would be more willing than his predecessor to work with police officers to find solutions to the city’s public safety issues. The police union gave him $15,000 during the May primary.
Both candidates enrolled in the city’s public campaign finance system, which provides a 6-to-1 match for cash contributions of $50 or less. Mapps outraised the incumbent. As of Tuesday, Mapps had received more than $538,000 in contributions and Eudaly nearly $387,000, according to state election records.
Mapps said after the results were announced that he was grateful and humbled by his selection to the council and said he felt voters were “hungry for a change.”
“I think Portlanders were, frankly, tired of divisiveness and felt like they wanted a City Hall that listened to them and invited them to the table,” Mapps said. "I think people agreed with our core agenda of conquering COVID, open up our economy again, end chronic homelessness, reform policing and reinvent how City Hall is organized.
“Now we’re on a mission to hold true to those promises.”
Eudaly said that she was disappointed and “sad for Portland.” Eudaly said she was proud of her tenure on the council and that over the waning months of her term, she plans to continue supporting Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty’s police reform efforts and continue advocating for renters’ and immigrant rights as well as transportation and environmental improvements.
“With the (possible) reelection of Mayor (Ted) Wheeler and the election of Mingus Mapps, it’s a step backwards for progress and it’s a win for big business, landlord lobbyists and police unions,” Eudaly said. “I really don’t think it reflects Portland’s progressive spirit.”
Mapps' four-year term begins in January.
-- Everton Bailey Jr; ebailey@oregonian.com | @EvertonBailey
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