Keith Wilson will give his acceptance speech as mayor-elect of Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — According to Multnomah County's second release of unofficial results, Keith Wilson, the CEO of a trucking company, had a solid lead in preliminary ranked-choice voting results in the race for Portland mayor on Wednesday, making him the next mayor of Portland.

Not long after those numbers were released, his opponents, city commissioners Carmen Rubio, Rene Gonzalez and Mingus Mapps, congratulated him as the Rose City's next mayor.

After 19 rounds of standings, Wilson was leading with 62% while Rubio had 38%.

The results for Wilson and Rubio hadn't changed much since Multnomah County published its first results on election evening on Tuesday. After 19 rounds, Wilson had 63% and Rubio had 37%.

Wilson told KATU News by phone Wednesday that he received congratulatory calls from Rubio, Gonzalez and Mapps.

In a statement, he thanked his opponents in the race and said he would approach the task with “humility and a focus on our shared values.”

“Voters in every corner of our city have made their voices heard: They want change and local leadership working together to solve our community’s problems,” he said.

Wilson will hold a press conference Thursday afternoon to give his acceptance speech.

In a statement, Rubio said she called Wilson to congratulate him and wish him luck.

“My hope for him is that he enters City Hall with a desire to listen and learn from those who have worked hard to get Portland back on its feet,” she said. “We have made progress in recent years and we must continue to progress. We don’t have a minute or a dollar left to waste when it comes to ending homelessness, creating a safe and inclusive city, supporting our small businesses, etc. and tackling the other big challenges we face.”

Gonzalez, who was eliminated in Round 18 of voting on both Tuesday and Wednesday, also said he called Wilson.

“It’s time for all Portlanders to rally behind him as we work to make Portland what we want it to be and a city we can be proud of again,” Gonzalez said on X.

Current Mayor Ted Wheeler posted his congratulations on X.

“The future of Portland is bright and I am committed to supporting you as you transition into your role as the leader of this incredible organization. “I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves with the newly elected city council,” he said.

Wheeler did not seek re-election this year.

In a single-winner selection contest, such as this race, tabulation rounds are conducted in which the candidates with the fewest votes are eliminated. Votes from eliminated candidates are transferred to the voter's next preference. Rounds continue until a candidate receives 50% +1.

You can see how votes were transferred and how candidates were eliminated by visiting Multnomah County Page with the election results for ranked choice voting.

Nearly 20 people ran for the mayor's seat this year, and for the first time, Portland voters were able to rank their top six candidates based on their preference.

After the first results were released Tuesday night showing Wilson in the lead, the newcomer to politics welcomed ranked-choice voting.

“When you think about ranked choice voting, it's about us embracing each other, not talking about the negatives of the campaign, but focusing on your message and what you're going to do for Portland, what your plan is, and I think we .” “We succeeded right away in ranked choice voting,” Wilson told his supporters at his campaign rally.

All votes must be counted before a winner can be declared in a ranked-choice race, but it seemed like Rubio, Gonzalez and Mapps felt like they didn't have a clear path to victory.

Multnomah County said it will release additional counted votes Thursday at 6 p.m

Data from the county showed record-breaking voter turnout on Election Day. More than 130,000 people voted on Tuesday. The previous record was 110,000 six years ago.

Election officials expect that a total of 75% of people will have voted by the time all ballots are counted.