2012 Portland, Oregon mayoral election

On Tuesday, November 6, 2012, an election was held in Portland, Oregon, to elect the mayor. Charlie Hales was elected, defeating Jefferson Smith. Incumbent mayor Sam Adams did not seek a second term.

Portland uses a nonpartisan system for local elections, in which all voters are eligible to participate. All candidates are listed on the ballot without any political party affiliation.

All candidates meeting the qualifications competed in a blanket primary election on Tuesday, May 15, 2012. As no candidate received an absolute majority, the top two finishers advanced to a runoff in the November 6 general election. In the general election, former city commissioner Charlie Hales defeated state representative Jefferson Smith with approximately 61% of the vote.

Primary

Candidates on the ballot

David Ackerman, mailroom operator for The Oregonian
Tre Arrow, environmental activist
Max Bauske, student at Portland Community College
Sam Belisle, manager at Red Robin
Eileen Brady, businesswoman and co-founder of New Seasons Market
Loren Brown, screenwriter
Max Brumm, college student
Dave Campbell, unemployed
Robert Carron, artist and writer
Bill Dant, real estate broker
Scott Fernandez
Charlie Hales, former Portland City Commissioner
Lew Humble, retired mechanic
Shonda Kelley, homemaker
Michael Langley, businessman
Blake Nieman-Davis, businessman
Josh Nuttall, cashier
Christopher Rich, media producer
Scott Rose, architect for DLR Group
Howie Rubin, insurance agent
Jefferson Smith, state Representative
Steve Sung, civil engineer
Cameron Whitten, Occupy Portland protester

Declined to run

Sam Adams, incumbent mayor
Earl Blumenauer, U.S. Representative
Jeff Cogen, Chairman of the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners
Jim Francesconi, former Portland City Commissioner
Steve Novick, political strategist and Democratic candidate for the United States Senate in 2008
Mike Reese, Chief of the Portland Police Bureau
Dan Saltzman, Portland City Commissioner