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United for Portland, the political action committee set up by the Portland Metro Chamber, has issued a second endorsement in the District 1 race for Multnomah County Commission: Meghan Moyer, the policy director for Disability Rights Oregon.
That’s a blow to Moyer’s opponent, administrative law judge Vadim Mozyrsky, who United for Portland endorsed in the May primary over Moyer and a number of other candidates. Because United for Portland’s endorsements last a full election cycle, this means that the group is technically endorsing both Mozyrsky and Moyer in the race—and are in effect planning to remain neutral.
Still, the Moyer endorsement signals that Mozyrsky is no longer the committee’s clear choice, despite him aligning with the business community since he first entered politics in 2022. When he ran for the Portland City Council that year, business leaders—mostly comprised of Portland Metro Chamber members—launched an independent expenditure campaign to boost Mozyrsky’s campaign. (After Mozyrsky lost in the primary, he said the independent expenditure had hurt his chances.)
Mozyrsky and Moyer are the two candidates that emerged from the crowded May primary field to appear on the November ballot. Moyer is widely viewed as more progressive than Mozyrsky.
United for Portland wrote in its Wednesday statement that it made its decision after “extensive dialogue” with Moyer that included her stance on the Preschool for All tax, the county’s deflection center, advocating for a less top-down decision-making process on the county commission, and her support of a homeless camping ordinance that County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards is supposed to introduce in the coming weeks.
“United for Portland is proud to announce this additional endorsement for Meghan Moyer today,” said Doug Moore, Executive Director of United for Portland. “Multnomah County voters are lucky to have the opportunity to support a group of quality leaders who understand that we are facing multiple crises that the county has failed to respond to.”
Mozyrsky in a text said that “it seems plain that United for Portland believes that Shannon Singleton is the biggest existential threat to their interests,” speaking about the District 2 race between former Portland mayor Sam Adams and Singleton, who’s long worked in the nonprofit world. “As they focus on the District 2 race, I’ll continue to focus on the needs of District 1 residents to ensure their voices are represented on the County Commission.”