Recall Wheeler Campaign Has Only Collected 5,926 Signatures—One-Eighth of the Number Necessary

The campaign has two months left to collect nearly 42,000 signatures.

Recall and Response - Ted Wheeler PLEDGE: Signers tried to fit their whole address onto the form’s economical line. (Suzette Smith)
By Sophie Peel

The Total Recall PAC seeking to recall Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler says it has collected fewer than 6,000 signatures.

That’s a low number: The campaign is a third of the way through its allotted 90-day signature-collecting window, and is only one-eleventh of the way to its 65,000 signature goal (it needs 47,788 valid signatures to qualify for the ballot).

Campaign spokeswoman Audrey Caines blamed the Delta variant, extreme heat and “the resulting changes to foot traffic patterns in the city.” Caines says the heat wave forecasted this week will prevent paid signature gatherers from working and “any time lost to extreme weather and public health events would have to be made up with more volunteer signature gatherers.”

Although Caines says the campaign’s 350 volunteers remain committed, the campaign will face an uphill climb to meet its goal of collecting 20,000 signatures in the next two weeks.

“Without monetary and volunteer support, this recall will not be successful at removing the most unpopular Mayor in a generation,” said Caines.



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