Residents of the City of Roses aren’t looking at their mayor with rose-colored glasses.
Sixty-three percent of Portland, Oregon, respondents to a poll have an unfavorable view of Mayor Ted Wheeler. Only 6% of respondents had a very favorable view of the mayor.
The poll also found that Wheeler is more unpopular than the Portland Police Bureau and the city’s police union.
Fifty-nine percent of respondents thought Portland was “seriously on the wrong track.” The percentage of voters that think the city is headed in the wrong direction has increased by 17% since May.
The poll found that 73% of Portlanders support the creation of an independent police oversight board to investigate complaints and impose discipline on officers in Portland, and 23% of residents have participated in protests. The research found participants are “disproportionately progressives, men under 50, independent men” and those who have a family connection to law enforcement.
Ninety-three percent of those surveyed thought that homelessness was a serious problem, while only 59% thought that police use of force against protesters was a serious problem. Eighty-seven percent of voters were concerned with the economic effects of COVID-19.
FM3 Research surveyed 435 likely voters in Portland between Aug. 25 and Aug. 30. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.9%.
Wheeler’s unfavorable ratings two months before the mayoral election are likely to worry his campaign staff. A June poll showed him neck and neck with his opponent, Sarah Iannarone, with Wheeler holding a 1-point lead and 35% of voters still undecided. Forty-one percent of respondents to the June PPP poll disapproved of Wheeler’s performance.
The news comes after the city marked its 100th night of consecutive protests or riots over Labor Day weekend.
