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Sam Adams, the former Portland mayor who is running for Multnomah County commissioner, failed to meet the deadline for getting a statement into the county portion of the Voters’ Pamphlet.
The online version of the guide released this week lists only one candidate for District 2: Adams’ opponent, Shannon Singleton. She submitted the required form by the deadline, along with a statement describing her background and listing her supporters, as is customary.
Adams, a seasoned politician who previously ran in four city races and in this May’s county commissioner primary, submitting a Voters’ Pamphlet statement each time, said he misunderstood the deadline. Adams says he thought he was in a “district” race, for which the deadline is Sept. 9, not a county race, which closed on Aug. 29.
Adams said he’s been under strain since his mother had a stroke and went into hospice care. He posted about her health on X, formerly Twitter.
“It is a tough time for my family and me,” Adams wrote Sept 3. “My mom has had a brain stroke and is in hospice care. Such an energetic and creative woman brought low by illness.”
Missing the pamphlet deadline doesn’t preclude Adams from running. It just deprives him of an inexpensive way to reach every voter in District 2. The filing fee for jurisdictions with 50,000 voters or more is $300, according to Multnomah County’s website.
Adams says he appealed the lapse to the Multnomah County Elections Division but his appeal was denied. He plans to mail a page to voters, with instructions on where it should go in the Voters’ Pamplet, a costly solution.
“I’m not working at my best right now,” Adams said, citing his mother’s illness. “The mistake was mine, not my campaign’s. It’s a trying time.”