03/04/2024
I have endorsed Candace Avalos for Portland City Council, District 1. I've donated to her campaign, and I ask you to do the same using the link below.
Candace is not the first candidate to receive my personal endorsement in this cycle and she won't be the last. Endorsements are a tricky thing; to endorse is to put one's credibility on the line, to vouch for someone, to say, "if you trust me, you can trust them." Part of the reason I am hesitant to plunge the Multnomah Democrats headlong into an endorsement process is because the process we had in the 2000s hurt the Party's credibility. IMO, if we want the Multdems to get into endorsements, that needs to be a conversation had over years, not months, and certainly not weeks.
My personal endorsement is a different matter. I've built up credibility over the years thanks to my work in both MCD and DPO. I also have the privilege of being a straight cisgender White man, old enough for AARP's younger demographic, and solidly in the Middle Class. If I happen to endorse the wrong candidate for Governor, the stakes for me personally are lower.
On the other hand, the stakes for a candidate for City Council are much higher. Most of the progressive candidates are competing against well-funded, pro-police candidates who will work to make Portland a police state. Word of mouth is their best election tactic in these early stages.
Despite this, I still want to make sure that my endorsement of a candidate won't blow up in my face, that the candidate is a good one, and that my endorsement will make a positive difference for their campaign. Candace easily fits all three criteria.
Those of you who know me through MCD also probably know Candace through MCD. She's a thoughtful advocate for progressivism and equity, a woman of color from both Black and Guatemalan roots, who has led not only inside the Party but outside. Her work on the Portland City Charter Commission makes her especially suited for the City Council role. (Some people - I won't say who - tried to make Candace's work on the Charter Commission a /negative/, implying that she set the rules to make her candidacy easier. I have to wonder if they would accuse a white man of the same thing, or if they would chalk that experience up to "pioneer spirit.")
So Candace meets the first two criteria. She also meets the third, especially now, because Candace needs donors. Not just money - raw numbers of donors! Which is why I'm asking you to pitch in $5, $10, or any amount up to $350, to help her campaign. If Candace gets enough donors, she'll qualify for a 9-to-1 match. Which means, dear reader, that your $5 would become $50, your $10 would become $100. And so on.
For these reasons, I have endorsed Candace in my capacity as Former Vice-Chair of the Democratic Party of Multnomah County. I hope my fellow former officers and other leaders will do the same. Feel free to comment or message me if you have questions or comments. In the meanwhile, you can learn much more about Candace, and give her a small amount of money for her campaign, at:
My name is Candace Avalos and I am a first generation “Blacktina” from the east coast that transplanted to Portland in 2013. I come from a family of Guatemalan immigrants that came to the United States in the 1960s seeking a brighter future, fleeing violence, poverty, and a lack of opportunities...
