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A political action committee set up by supporters of City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez has already raked in $250,000 in contributions to support his bid for mayor, before his top two opponents—City Commissioner Carmen Rubio and business owner Keith Wilson—have even seen their promised independent expenditure campaigns launch.
The biggest checks to the independent expenditure campaign set up to boost Gonzalez were made by downtown developers and public safety unions. (IEs are a way for outside interests to boost a candidate because such committees aren’t restricted by campaign finance limits.)
The Portland Metro Fire Fighters PAC wrote a $25,000 check, as did the Keep Portland Safe PAC, which is controlled by the Portland Police Association.
Developers that contributed over $5,000 to the IE include the Goodman family, Jordan Schnitzer, Walter Grodahl of DGB Properties, and Mark Madden of WDC Properties. Businessmen that contributed $10,000 checks include Andrew Rowe, executive chairman of AllMed Healthcare Management, Steve Roth, a director of a large medical equipment company, and John von Schlegell and Stephen Babson of Endeavour Capital.
The roster shows that downtown developers are backing Gonzalez even though United for Portland, the PAC set up by the Portland Metro Chamber, has pledged to remain neutral in the mayoral race.
Rubio, who’s served four years on the Portland City Council, managed to neutralize the business community with several policies she ushered through the City Council over the past two years, including permitting reforms and loosening certain building requirements for developers.
But both Rubio and Gonzalez have struggled with negative headlines in recent weeks, revealing poor driving records. (Rubio’s is far worse than Gonzalez’s.) That’s created a potential window of opportunity for Keith Wilson, the owner of Titan Freight that’s raised nearly as much money as Rubio and Gonzalez and whose campaign is entirely focused on an ambitious far-fetched plan to end unsheltered homelessness in one calendar year. Earlier this week WW reported that Arizona Demoratic Consultant Rich Schlackman will set up an IE campaign to boost Wilson’s candidacy.
While his opponents can’t yet muster an IE, Gonzalez detractors recently launched the PAC Don’t Rank Rene, which is aimed at convincing voters not to rank Gonzalez on their ranked choice ballots. The PAC so far has brought in a meager amount just shy of $1,400.