City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly Says On Facebook: I Haven’t Ruled Out Running for Mayor

On November 15, in a moment of pique, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler muttered about how he's hoping the rest of his term passes quickly. That set off a predictable flurry of speculation that he may not seek another term.

Related: Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler Mutters That He Can't Wait for His Term to Be Over

That leaves an open question: Who would consider the job?

That same night, in a Facebook post, City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly wrote that she find her job fulfilling—and, in subsequent comments, that she wouldn't rule out a run for the job of mayor.

At 11:01 pm, Eudaly posted on her personal Facebook account about being "hopeful" and "thankful"  on a day that where the mayor made less-than-happy comments:

"My day started at 7am and ended at 9:30pm. A LOT happened. I am exhausted. I am thankful. I am hopeful. We have so many smart, talented people in this city dedicated to real change, to true equity, to the greater good, to our collective quality of life, and the future of life on this planet! I love you guys. Good night!"

Eudaly tells WW she was so busy she probably didn't hear about the mayor's muttering until the following day. She also notes that she draws a distinction between the job of mayor and city commissioner.

"Being a Portland City Commissioner is a challenging but very fulfilling job," she tells WW. "I think it's one of the best jobs in American politics. I can't say the same for Mayor of Portland which is exponentially harder and largely thankless."

Regardless, one of her friends took the Facebook thread in a more pointed direction, posting in reply: "Do us a favor and run for Mayor already, this town can't take another D bag like Wheeler."

Eudaly responded by saying she wouldn't rule it out.

"I really don't want that job but would run under certain circumstances," Eudaly responded.

Eudaly, asked to clarify what circumstances those are, tells WW:

"I have previously stated I would never run for Mayor. But I had also stated in years past that I would never run for elected office, yet here we are. While I would still prefer not to, after nearly two years here I can imagine a set of circumstances under which I might feel compelled to do so. Simply put, if no viable progressive candidate stepped forward and I wanted to continue serving on Council I would consider running."

In other news, Eudaly says she intends to seek reelection to her current job.

Eudaly isn't the only current or former Portland-area elected official to publicly discuss who should be mayor next, after the mayor's muttering.

Rep. Diego Hernandez weighed in directly, saying he favored a mayor who "wants to be in the job."

Similarly, former mayoral candidate and state Rep. Jefferson Smith—who now operates nonprofit radio station XRay.fm—commented on Facebook on the mayor's distaste for the job.

"Mayor of Portland is one of the best jobs in the world," he posted on Facebook at 7:15 pm on Nov. 15. "If one wants to have a nice time, be beloved, have a relaxing gig, or set up for a subsequent political campaign, that might not be so."

Later in the post, he attempted to take a lighter touch with Wheeler.

"This is not a knock on the current mayor (and certainly is no statement of a desire to enter any political fray much less any campaign — Portland's next great mayor will be a woman)," Smith added later in the post.

In addition, Jules Bailey, a former mayoral candidate, and an opponent to Wheeler in the mayor's race, appeared to go full subtweet: "I love my job," he Tweeted, along with an inspiration video about his work at the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative: