Carmen Rubio’s campaign first to qualify for public financing in Portland mayoral race

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) – Portland mayoral candidate Carmen Rubio announced Monday that her campaign is the first to qualify for public financing in the 2024 race.

According to Rubio’s campaign, the City of Portland verified her campaign qualified for the funding after meeting the threshold of 750 individual Portland donors.

“I am incredibly proud of the strong grassroots support we’ve garnered from every corner of the City,” Rubio said. “This momentum keeps growing, and it’s a testament to the collective desire for positive change in Portland.”

According to the city, Rubio’s campaign received $100,000 in public funds for meeting the threshold. Candidates who qualified for public funding in mayoral races would previously receive $750,000. However, the amount was lowered to $100,000 because the program is underfunded.

While the city is matching up to $100,000 in contributions to Rubio’s campaign , the city indicated her campaign contribution totals exceed that amount.

The milestone comes after Rubio’s campaign received a boost from Gov. Tina Kotek, who endorsed Rubio in June .

She has received several other endorsements, including support from former Gov. Kate Brown, Metro President Lynn Peterson, Multnomah County Commissioner Jesse Beason, and former Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal.

Several unions have also backed the mayoral hopeful including AFSCME Local 189, NW Oregon Labor Council, and the Portland Association of Teachers.

Rubio — who currently serves as Portland City Commissioner in charge of Prosper Portland and the city bureaus for housing, development services and planning and sustainability — announced her candidacy in early January .

Since then, Rubio’s campaign said they have received over 1,100 unique and repeat contributions. Her campaign added that she has the strongest fundraising support from micro (less than $25), small ($26-$100) and medium ($100-$250) donor levels.

Rubio added, “Our campaign is about unity, and the overwhelming number of individual donors shows that we are united not only in our shared vision for a better, safer, and more inclusive Portland — but also in how we get there. We can’t forget who we are along the way.”

Susan Mottet, the director of Portland’s small donor election program, told KOIN 6 News that another Portland mayoral candidate, Rene Gonzalez, has also reached the 750-contribution threshold.

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