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In response to
"who are the likely suspects to run for his seat? -- nm"
by
hollywood big shot
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Where do I even begin?
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People have been lining up to run for this seat since he was first elected in 1996. Just about any prominent Democrat in the 3rd District is going to take a hard look at running.
Without breaching confidentiality, though, here are a few of the folks most likely to announce a candidacy, including the three mentioned in the article:
Mayor Eddy Morales, mayor of Gresham, Oregon (eastern suburb of Portland). Served on city council and won a damn close race for mayor last year. He'll be tempted to run, and he's young enough to win.
Comm. Susheela Jayapal. Multnomah County Commissioner and sister of Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07). I don't know much about her other than that.
Rep. Travis Nelson (Dist. 44). A nurse by profession, former President of the Oregon Nurses Association, and the first black LGBTQIA+ person elected to the Oregon Legislature.
Deborah Kafoury will almost certainly run. She's the former Multnomah County Chair, served on the Commission for eight years before that, and served as a Rep in the Oregon Legislature for a handful of terms. More importantly, the late Gretchen Kafoury is her mother.
Steve Novick is going to be tempted to jump in, but I hope he doesn't. The name probably rings a bell with you and others on ST. He started out in public service as a consumer rights lawyer and USDOJ attorney, but he's most famous for almost winning the 2008 Democratic Primary for U.S. Senator. Merkley barely beat him. He later served on Portland City Council, but lost reelection to Chloe Eudaly.
Mingus Mapps might switch to running for Congress, rather than running for Mayor. I could see him running, but I can't see him winning.
Loretta Smith, former Multnomah County Commissioner, could run. And she would be great. She knows the district better than any other candidate I can think of (having served as Mult. Co. Field Representative for U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden). But I don't know if she could win. If she runs, I'll support her immediately, but she's lost two city council elections recently, so that cloud is hanging over her.
Dan Ryan might run, but I think he's much happier going for Portland City Council again. He's a nonprofit executive and Portland State administrator by profession.
All of these folks are solidly in the "Portland Lefty" realm of the political spectrum. Anyone who runs as a Republican (or even a conservative) won't have a chance.
A serious Green Party candidate, though? That could make things really interesting. This District remains one of those few places where the Green Party has a chance of winning, but it would take someone with a solid business background (preferably a business owner).
I'll let y'all know if I hear any substantive rumors, but those are the likely suspects I see running.
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