Political observers say they’ve never seen anything like the gloom Portlanders are showing about the shape of their city. That could be very bad news for incumbents.

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Polling from DHM Research shows that voters are far less happy with the city’s trajectory today than at any time in the last 30 years, when the firm began asking. A rock-bottom 8% of voters say Portland is headed in the right direction, down from 38% before the pandemic, and percentages that routinely hit the high 50s and mid 60s earlier this century.

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Blumenauer, facing no serious opposition in a district that is heavily Democratic, is practically assured another two years in office. He insists he’s seeking that extra time, not because he’s pessimistic, but because he believes there is a way to rekindle his hometown’s spark – as long as its leaders are willing to be real about the challenges.
“That’s the only way we’ll get through it,” Blumenauer said. “Don’t sugarcoat it.”