Governor Kotek Endorses Carmen Rubio for Portland Mayor

The campaign to elect Carmen Rubio as Portland’s next Mayor has announced that Governor Tina Kotek has thrown her support behind Commissioner Rubio. 

In endorsing Rubio, Governor Kotek shared: “Carmen Rubio has a track record of getting results. She’s focused on what matters – cleaning up the city, getting people into shelter and affordable housing, and bringing back the city we all love. We can count on her to deliver the kind of change Portland urgently needs.”

“I am humbled, grateful, and energized by the Governor’s support. Not just because I admire her commitment to public service, but because Governor Kotek knows what it will take to bring Portland to its full potential - and how important it is to have leadership alignment, at all levels of government, to achieve results. I am known as a collaborator that doesn’t fear taking responsibility for the way forward and making the hard call, when needed, to deliver results,” Rubio said. 

According to her campaign, Rubio's top priorities include ending unsheltered homelessness by increasing temporary and permanent supportive housing, and working with the state and county to expand access to comprehensive addiction and mental health treatments. She will enhance public safety with a strong emphasis on community policing and accountability measures like body-worn cameras, recruiting well-trained police officers that reflect the diversity of the city, expanding the use of unarmed public safety support specialists and improving and stabilizing Portland Street Response. 

Additionally, according to a news release, her administration will aggressively push for more affordable housing at all income levels and champion sustainable development initiatives to ensure Portland leads as a climate and equity trailblazer.