Initial Returns in City Council Special Election Show Dan Ryan Up by 2%

With 31% of registered voters’ ballots tallied, Ryan leads Loretta Smith by about 3,000 votes.

Dan Ryan (Courtesy of the campaign)
By Nigel Jaquiss

Updated at 10:09 pm: Multnomah County Elections released the second tally around 10 pm tonight. That count showed Dan Ryan extending his lead over Loretta Smith to just over 4,100 votes, which translates to 2.76% of the vote.

Initial tallies in tonight's special election runoff for Portland City Council show Dan Ryan, the former executive director of educational nonprofit All Hands Raised, leading former Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith by about 2%, or 3,000 votes of 138,000 counted.

Preliminary totals show there are at least 26,000 more ballots to be counted.

Smith and Ryan emerged from a crowded primary field in May. The winner will serve the remainder of late City Commissioner Nick Fish's term, which runs through January 2023. (Fish was the longest-serving member of the council when he died in January of abdominal cancer.)

The winner takes office next month.

Explore more on:

Dan RyanLoretta SmithNick FishPortland City Council

Nigel Jaquiss

Nigel Jaquiss

Reporter Nigel Jaquiss joined the Oregon Journalism project in 2025 after 27 years at Willamette Week.

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office.

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