Revisit some of the candidates we endorsed in the May primary and plan to vote for on Nov. 5. by The Mercury Election Strike Force MULTNOMAH COUNTY CANDIDATES Multnomah County Board of Commissioners District 1: Meghan Moyer Meghan Moyer brings a robust background in policy and advocacy work to benefit working class families and the underserved. Moyer is a public policy specialist for Disability Rights Oregon. She’s also held key roles in SEIU Local 503–a major union representing health care workers, home care providers, and administrative employees who work for the state. That’s on top of the work she’s done with the local PTA. Aside from being a policy wonk with an impressive background, Moyer points out that she’s uniquely qualified to jump into a local government role like this and get to work right away to tackle daunting issues like homelessness and behavioral health.  “I’ve spent years successfully drafting and passing public policy, inspiring teamwork toward common goals, and leading substantial projects to successful completion on time and on budget,” Moyer told the Mercury ahead of the May primary election. Moyer’s priorities also include the county’s childcare landscape (hello, Preschool For All!) and its regional economy, noting infrastructure jobs that bring solid wages will help Multnomah County families attain a better quality of life. District 2: Shannon Singleton Singleton running to serve the rest of Susheela Jayapal’s unexpired term on the Board of Commissioners, which is up in 2026. That means voters will have to elect someone to this seat again in two years.  Singleton, whose background is rooted in social work (she has a masters degree in this area) briefly led the Joint Office of Homeless Services on an interim basis before her departure in 2022. She cites “housing, behavioral health care, and public safety” as her top priorities. Singleton has worked in the governor's office, and also brings institutional knowledge about Multnomah County’s roles and functions. More importantly, she doesn’t have to guess about which policies and programs actually work to reduce and prevent homelessness.  “I am the only candidate in this race who has direct experience serving people experiencing homelessness,” Singleton told us back in May. “I have run a women’s shelter in downtown Portland, I have run programs dedicated to serving people with severe and persistent mental illnesses at Cascadia, I have run the primary street outreach organization that provides housing placement and retention supports to move people from the streets and back into housing, JOIN, and I have also worked in positions of power at the city of Portland, Multnomah County, and the state of Oregon.” We think Singleton is best suited for the job right now. Judge of the Circuit Court 4th District, Position 38: Rachel Philips STATE CANDIDATES State Representatives 28th District: Dacia Grayber 33rd District: Shannon Jones Isadore  Shannon Jones Isadore is a Marine Corps veteran and founder of the Oregon Change Clinic, "a culturally-specific, outpatient treatment facility for substance use recovery and mental health disorders." She's already serving as the rep for the 33rd District, after she was appointed to fill the vacancy created when Rep. Maxine Dexter resigned amid her campaign for federal office. We like the idea of someone like Isadore continuing in the legislature—especially since she'd be the only Black woman of that body, with the departure of Janelle Bynum who's now campaigning for a seat in the 5th District—offering her clear expertise in the intersection of mental health, substance abuse, and housing. Isadore's hands-on experience, as well as life experience as a Black woman, makes her the best choice to serve—and hopefully influence—the state legislature. 34th District: Lisa Reynolds 41st District: Mark Gamba 43rd District: Tawna Sanchez  46th District: Willy Chotzen House District 46 encompasses a large chunk of Southeast Portland, including a big piece of SE 82nd Avenue and the Lents neighborhood east of I-205. The seat is currently held by Representative Khanh Pham, who is running for the Oregon Senate and leaving the spot open. During her time in the state house, Pham has been a strong advocate for East Portland, one of the most diverse parts of the city, much of which faces a crucial infrastructure deficit. We believe Willy Chotzen is the person Pham should pass the torch to. (And for what it's worth, Pham agrees.)  As a public defender, Chotzen has valuable experience with a different side of the criminal justice system than what we typically hear about. In the legislature, he wants to serve on the House Judiciary Committee, acting as a "strong voice to expand access to justice and to ensure our courts work as they should." "My goal is not only to address the public defender shortage, but to create a future where we don’t need so many public defenders because we are proactively addressing the root causes of crime," Chotzen told the Mercury back in May. Chotzen also emphasized the importance of transportation and education funding reform in the upcoming legislative session.   We think Chotzen—with his experience in the justice system and his focus on racial and economic equity for all Oregonians—is the right leader for District 46 right now.  48th District: Hoa Nguyen  49th District: Zach Hudson 50th District: Ricki Ruiz State Senators 14th District: Kate Lieber 22nd District: Lew Frederick  25th District: Chris Gorsek Other State Races Secretary of State: Tobias Read Following the disappointing implosion of former Oregon Secretary of State, Shemia Fagan, it's imperative that she be replaced by someone who is trustworthy, creative, and has an excellent track record. Tobias Read, our current state treasurer and former representative and co-chair of the budget committee, has served Oregon well. He's vowed to choose the subjects of state audits based on data points (rather than partisan politics). Plus he's got some nifty, specific ideas to safeguard election integrity, including setting up a statewide system that would text voters to let them know their ballot has been counted, like Multnomah County already does, while also implementing a program that would allow Oregonians to (safely for all involved) witness vote counting. Read brings a wealth of experience and creative, specific plans for putting voting fears to rest. State Treasurer: Elizabeth Steiner The office of state treasurer covers a lot of ground and is critically important, as this official manages more than $100 billion in state investments, including the convoluted and massive Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) for the state of Oregon.  Steiner has served in the Oregon Legislature for 12 years and also served as the state's lead budget writer—so she knows a lot about the delicate balance of large financial projects, and which should be prioritized. Besides being eager to manage that monstrous $94 billion PERS fund, Steiner is also focused on financial literacy to help Oregonians save for college, retirement, and future health needs, as well as divesting the state from the grasp of fossil fuels. She brings experience, good ideas, and the kind of institutional knowledge that will come in handy in a job of this magnitude. Oregon Attorney General: Dan Rayfield Fun fact: According to state law, one does not have to be an attorney to be Oregon Attorney General... but it certainly can't hurt, which is why we're endorsing attorney and former House Speaker Dan Rayfield, purely on his wealth of experience. Apparently we're not the only ones who think so, as Rayfield picked up a truckload of endorsements from labor, educators, and health providers during the May primary, and vows to focus on protecting Oregonians' reproductive health and combating threats to abortion, stopping gun violence, and holding corporate polluters accountable. We endorsed him in the primary and are voting for him again in November. Federal Candidates US Representative, 1st District: Suzanne Bonamici A former consumer protection attorney, Suzanne Bonamici’s Congressional tenure began in 2012. She’s won each re-election bid since then, and there’s good reason for that. Bonamici, who currently serves on the Committee for Education and Workforce, as well as the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, prides herself on policies that prioritize the wellbeing of the working class, families, and children. She’s also been a watchdog for her most vulnerable constituents, as evidenced by her partnership with two other legislators to introduce a bill that would crack down on predatory debt collectors.  You’ll also find her name attached to bills that strengthen the arts, secure worker protection, prioritize affordable housing and child nutrition, and work to tackle a national nursing shortage. Bonamici has also proven diligent in bringing important federal funding back to Oregon. Nearly everything the congresswoman has done over the past 12 years has been geared toward improving lives. That said, Bonamici is a bit of an establishment candidate in the Democratic Party. At worst, her legislation can be milquetoast and ineffective, and Bonamici isn’t one to push back on her party’s agenda. Her vote earlier this year to approve a foreign military aid package that included funds for Israel disappointed many people in her district. Bonamici defended her decision, noting she previously rejected legislation because it included no humanitarian assistance for Palestinians. She’s adamant that Israel is still an important US ally, but says she’s putting pressure on President Biden to hold Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accountable, and to push for a permanent cease-fire that would bring hostages home and help rebuild Gaza. “I would have preferred to vote for a bill that included only defensive and humanitarian aid, but that was not the bill that was before us,” Bonamici said in a statement earlier this year. “All countries that receive U.S. military aid, including Israel, must abide by international law. I have conveyed the importance of that requirement to the Biden Administration and will continue to do so going forward.” No politician is perfect, and Bonamici won’t woo every liberal voter, but we can count on her to protect fundamental values like reproductive freedom, protections for trans kids, workers’ rights, and the right for unhoused people to exist without being punished for having nowhere to go. In this race, she’s our best bet. US Representative, 3rd District: Maxine Dexter Maxine Dexter beat out a handful of challengers in the May primary, including Susheela Jayapal and Eddie Morales, to be the Democratic challenger for the 3rd District. The Mercury did not endorse Dexter in that race and has published reporting on the influence of outside, dark money—most of which was funneled through shell PACs by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee— in Dexter's primary win. It's also frustrating that Dexter does not currently live in this district (though she's said she intends to move back to an area of Portland within the 3rd District). That said, Dexter's background as a physician and current lawmaker make her the best suited candidate in this race. US Representative, 5th District: Janelle Bynum Guys... here's job one: Getting rid of the current congresswoman in the 5th District, Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who squeaked out a victory over Jamie McLeod-Skinner in November 2022. Bynum is a current member of the Oregon House of Representatives in the 39th District and beat McLeod-Skinner in the May primary to be the Democratic candidate in the 5th District race. Bynum has baggage. We are less than pleased with her support of continued funding to Israel, despite their military enacting genocide in Gaza. If that's a deal-breaker for you... we get it. But baggage aside, she led the House Committee on Equitable Policing, vows to defend abortion and voting rights, and has loads of endorsements from a laundry list of influential leaders including Gov. Tina Kotek, who Bynum tried to unseat as House Speaker in 2021... which says a lot about Bynum's ability to buck the system when she needs to. Chavez-DeRemer should've never been given the 5th District in the first place, as evidenced by her fealty to Donald Trump and the fact that she's held no in-person town hall meetings in her district since she was elected.