Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler Raised $146,000 in 2018 for His Political Action Committee

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has stepped up his fundraising efforts, presumably as part of a run for reelection, raising $87,000 in the last month.

In 2018, he raised $146,000 in total.

Wheeler's public struggles on the job have raised questions about his prospects for reelection, though he has said voters should expect him to run again.

Related: Portland's Mayor Is Struggling on the Job. And It's About to Get Harder.

The fundraising, first reported by the Portland Tribune, is one indication he's preparing a run.

The $146,000 is a fraction of the more than $1 million Wheeler raised for his 2016 run for office, but the next election is still more than 23 months away.

Four years ago, in 2014, then-Mayor Charlie Hales raised $506 toward a possible 2016 campaign. (Wheeler also raised an insignificant sum that year: $100.)

Wheeler's tallies comes in advance of a new limit on campaign finance limits passed by voters in November that will prohibit corporate donations and limit donations from a single donor to $500. None of the recent contributions to Wheeler would meet those requirements. The measure calls for the provisions being enacted no later than Sept. 1.

The fundraising caps are likely to be challenged in courts, but will, at a minimum, be a political force in the election.

The next cycle will see other changes in Portland elections law, including a return to publicly financed campaigns.