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The three incumbent city councilors representing District 4 on the Portland City Council appear poised to win reelection.
Incumbents Olivia Clark, Eric Zimmerman and Mitch Green hold the early lead, according to preliminary results.
The leading challenger to the incumbents, Portland bike cop Eli Arnold, is trailing nearly 5,000 votes behind Green and Zimmerman. Arnold has just 5,601 votes.
The district covers all of the westside and a sliver of Southeast Portland.
That Clark, Zimmerman and Green appear to all be poised to secure a second term—and all three incumbents in District 3 appear poised to win reelection as well—the composition of the deadlocked City Council will remain unchanged.
Green is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and one of the core members of the council’s progressive caucus. Both Zimmerman and Clark are part of the moderate voting bloc that often finds itself in direct opposition to the “Peacock” contingent.
At the DSA party at the White Owl Social Club in Southeast Portland, Green projected confidence before the first results posted.
“Tonight’s a historic night,” he said to the gathering while nursing a Rainier. “People are hungry for a style of politics that’s honest and authentic.”
Across the river in a suite at the Hilton downtown, Zimmerman and Clark embraced when they saw initial results. “We’re in! We’re in!” they said. Their campaign staff and friends rushed to pass out champagne to partygoers.
“It feels amazing,” Zimmerman said. “The two-year term was nice, and right now it looks like Portland is going to send me back for a four-year term. That’s a hell of an honor.”
The councilors then learned that fellow incumbent Mitch Green had taken the third slot. “So nothing’s changed?” Clark asked.
“We’ve always been the most collegial district,” Clark said. “The three of us have worked really well together, and that will continue.”
As additional ballots are counted throughout the night, results can be viewed here.
