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In less than three weeks, Portland voters will receive mail-in ballots for the special election runoff between former Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith and Dan Ryan, the former executive director of the education nonprofit All Hands Raised.
They were the top two vote getters in a crowded May 19 primary contest to replace City Commissioner Nick Fish, who died in January of abdominal cancer in the middle of his term. Because Fish's death left the council operating with just four members, the election to award the seat will be held sooner than the November general election.
Both candidates qualified for public financing in May under the city's new Open and Accountable Elections program, which limits contributions to $250 but provides up to a 6-to-1 match in public dollars for the first $50 of any contribution. That means a $50 contribution can become $350 for the candidate.
Since the May 19 primary, Smith has received 251 contributions, with a median size of $150, for a total of $63,141, along with $28,000 in city matching funds. Ryan has recorded significantly more contributions since the primary—345—but the median size is smaller at $58, and he's raised $41,143 from donors, along with $39,000 in city matching funds.
The candidates can spend up to $300,000 on the Aug. 11 election, so both have plenty of fundraising they still can do.
Smith has $75,000 on hand, Ryan $55,000.