A poll shows Portland, Oregon, mayoral candidate Sarah Iannarone is up 11 percentage points over the city’s incumbent Democratic mayor, Ted Wheeler.
A survey conducted by DMH Research on behalf of the Portland Business Alliance shows Iannarone with 41% support and Wheeler with 30% support. Sixteen percent of respondents said they would write in a candidate, and 13% said they were undecided.
The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points and was conducted from Sept.17-22. It is unclear how many people were surveyed.
“Most voters are just tuning in to this race,” said Danny O’Halloran, Wheeler’s campaign manager. “And that’s why such a large number of respondents in this poll are undecided. We are confident that once voters have the opportunity to get to know both candidates, these numbers move decisively in Ted’s direction.”
During the May runoff primary, Wheeler received 49% of the vote, and Iannarone received 24%.
Iannarone has defended antifa, an often-violent activist group whose masked supporters protest law enforcement and work to promote left-wing policies, once tweeting, “I am Antifa.”
In an interview with Fox News host Jesse Waters at the beginning of September, Iannarone was asked, “Why do you call yourself the ‘Antifa mayor?'”
“Because it’s good to oppose fascism!” Iannarone declared.
Antifa has been particularly active in Portland, with protests ramping up substantially after the death of Goerge Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police office knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Wheeler has faced calls to resign for his handling of law enforcement and the protests that spanned across the entire summer.
