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Multnomah County Commissioner Shannon Singleton released a long list Monday of union, organizational and community endorsers of her bid for county chair.
The list, which includes some progressive power players like the Portland Association of Teachers and The Sierra Club, comes after a string of big unions opted to endorse Singleton’s opponent, County Commissioner and former Portland School Board member Julia Brim-Edwards. Last week, both the Oregon Nurses Association and AFSCME Local 88, the county’s largest employee union, threw their weight behind Brim-Edwards’ campaign. (Sharon Meieran, the third candidate in the race, is not seeking organizational endorsements.)
The biggest union to throw its weight behind Singleton in the race thus far appears to be the local chapter of Service Employees International Union Oregon. Singleton mentioned the SEIU endorsement in her Monday announcement.
But the large union’s endorsement of Singleton comes with a catch: Pati Urias, spokeswoman for SEIU Local 503, says SEIU Oregon issued a dual endorsement of Brim-Edwards and Singleton, and recommends ranking Brim-Edwards first and Singleton second.
Singleton says that her understanding was that the SEIU 503 endorsement was a dual endorsement. She did not have further comment when WW confirmed that the endorsement was a ranked one.
She has sought to brand her campaign as one emphasizing progressive reform, and has played up the value of labor endorsers to her race. “I’m honored to be endorsed by organizations and community leaders representing our working families, educators, communities of color, and our future,” Singleton said in the Aug. 24 release. “People are excited about having a progressive leader who can make sure Multnomah County is working for all of us.”
Singleton boasts organizational support from such groups as Basic Rights Oregon, Latino Network Action Fund, and the Oregon Working Families Party. She has so far raised the least money among her competitors.
Meanwhile, Brim-Edwards’ campaign touted the ranking by SEIU as a continued sign of support from labor.
“I am incredibly honored to be SEIU Oregon’s #1 choice for Multnomah County Chair,” Brim-Edwards said in a release. “SEIU members are caregivers, health care workers, public servants, custodians and frontline workers who keep our communities safe, clean, and healthy. They know what it takes to deliver the essential services that working families need to thrive.”
