Portland Mayor Wins Second Term, Beating Political Newcomer Sarah Iannarone

Lorenz Duchamps
By Lorenz Duchamps
November 4, 2020US News
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Portland Mayor Wins Second Term, Beating Political Newcomer Sarah Iannarone
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler speaks to the media at City Hall in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 30, 2020. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

Mayor Ted Wheeler has won reelection to serve for a second term in a city that for months was at the center of civil unrest and protests that many times erupted into violent riots over alleged racism and police brutality in the United States.

“I want to thank the voters of Portland for the opportunity to continue serving as your mayor,” Wheeler said at a press briefing late on Tuesday, Oregon broadcasting network OPB reported.

“This has not been an easy year for any of us, and I know that many of you are frustrated with the direction of our city,” he continued.

Wheeler, a career Democrat, faced challenger Sarah Iannarone, who said publicly last year that, “I am Antifa,” a far-left association of groups that President Donald Trump announced earlier this year he intends to designate as a domestic terrorism organization.

NTD Photo
Campaign manager Gregory McKelvey (L) speaks with Portland mayoral candidate Sarah Iannarone at her campaign office in Portland, Oregon, on Oct. 28, 2020. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

The 47-year-old community activist and political newcomer had never held elected office and finished third when she ran for mayor in 2016. She refused to concede defeat in a statement late on Tuesday and said the team was heading to bed, the network reported.

“Let the results continue to roll in, and make sure that every vote is counted in this election,” she wrote. “This campaign was always about tactical optimism—the belief that in our darkest hours, we have to believe in and see the path to making the world better.”

Wheeler posted on Twitter that on Election Day and beyond, there would be “no tolerance for any violence, intimidation or criminal destruction,” and that people should be “safe while using their voice to advocate for their perspective.”

Despite the mayor’s warning, a relatively large group of people marched in anti-Trump demonstrations in the city, with some reports of unrest and property damage.

Videos on social media showed people setting an American flag on fire in Portland in front of the Justice Center and U.S. Courthouse, while photos shared on Twitter showed the entrance to a building defaced with graffiti.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown had put the National Guard on standby since Portland has seen almost nightly protests since the death of George Floyd in police custody in May.

Hundreds of businesses in cities across the United States boarded up their doors and windows ahead of the election, fearing the vote could lead to the sort of violence that broke out after Floyd’s death.

Epoch Times reporter Tom Ozimek and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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