2016 Portland, Oregon mayoral election


On Tuesday, May 17, 2016, an election was held in Portland, Oregon, to elect the mayor. Ted Wheeler was elected after garnering 54% of the primary vote. Incumbent mayor Charlie Hales did not seek a second term.
Portland uses a nonpartisan system for local elections, in which all voters are eligible to participate. All candidates are listed on the ballot without any political party affiliation.
Fifteen candidates competed in a blanket primary election on May 17, 2016. As Ted Wheeler garnered 54% of the vote, a scheduled November 8 runoff election, scheduled in case that no candidate received an absolute majority, did not take place. Jules Bailey was the first runner-up in the primary, receiving 16% of the vote.

Primary

Candidates

The deadline for withdrawing from the race was March 11, 2016. Incumbent mayor Charlie Hales was widely seen as the frontrunner in the election, announcing his bid for re-election in March 2015. In an unexpected move in October 2015, however, Hales announced he would drop his re-election bid and focus on running the city during his final year in office.
Poll sourceDate administeredSample sizeMargin of errorJules BaileyCharlie HalesTed WheelerOtherUndecided
DHM ResearchMay 6 – 9, 2016402±4.9%9%–33%15%43%
KATU/SurveyUSAMarch 28 – April 1, 2016576±4.2%8%–38%22%31%
Patinkin Research StrategiesDecember 9–13, 2015400±4.9%38%–35%1%26%
Lake Research PartnersAugust 29 – September 2, 2015400±4.9%–21%34%1%44%

Forum

Results