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Three months before voters elect the next Multnomah County chair, campaign finance records show County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards has thus far significantly outraised both of her opponents.
Brim-Edwards has to date reported $133,711 in cash and in-kind contributions. Former two-term commissioner Sharon Meieran, who launched her campaign early last month, has raised $46,288. Commissioner Shannon Singleton, who announced her bid a few days before Brim-Edwards did in early February, has raised $21,390.
Brim-Edwards has also spent more money than either of her opponents has raised. Her expenditures currently total $54,645, ahead of Singleton’s $13,229 and Meieran’s $9,227.
County campaign finance regulations allow candidates to accept up to $603 from any individual or political committee during an election cycle. Unlike candidates running for Portland City Council, there’s no publicly financed small donor matching program for county candidates. “It makes candidates work hard across a broad spectrum of the community to raise those funds,” Brim-Edwards says of the policies.
Brim-Edwards tells WW she hasn’t been focused on fundraising. “It’s been very heartening that, frankly, I have 50-plus years of friends and acquaintances and neighbors who you know saw I was running and wrote me a check or went online and made a donation,” she says.
The chair’s race is still in its early stages: A number of powerful labor unions have yet to issue endorsements, including Service Employees International Union Local 503 and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Their endorsements, among others to come, could influence campaign finance trajectories in coming months.
Brim-Edwards has raked in endorsements from all six mayors in Multnomah County, and from the Northwest Oregon Labor Council, AFL-CIO. Singleton has received endorsements from the Working Families Party, NextUp Action Fund, and a number of other local politicians.
Singleton tells WW that fundraising is an ongoing part of her campaign.
“I’m grateful to all the people who have given their hard earned money to support my vision for Multnomah County,” she says. “I know what it’s like to not know where your next meal is coming from, which is why I fought my whole career for working families and I’ll continue this fight as chair.”
When reached for comment, Meieran told WW that her campaign was just getting started.
“I think the momentum is coming from all the people who want to help me fix Multnomah County, not just win an election,” she says.
