The far-left Portland mayoral candidate who scored a last-minute endorsement from Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and has also previously declared “I am Antifa” has conceded the mayoral race to incumbent Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler.
Sarah Iannarone officially conceded the race to Wheeler on Wednesday evening, after the Oregonian reported that Wheeler was leading Iannarone by about 5% of the vote, with more than 90% of the expected votes for the race already tallied.
Iannarone also thanked her campaign manager Greg McKelvey, who last year admitted he considers himself a communist, as well as her supporters, explaining how they made a critical decision in choosing, through her mayoral candidacy, “progress over decline.”
“You have been a leading light in America’s fight against fascism, and I am proud that my campaign showed America that everyday anti-fascism is not scary, and here in Portland, we are the frontline of solidarity protecting our most vulnerable communities,” said Iannarone.
“We must unify this city and move Portland forward with the leadership that we have. Together we must push to become the city we all truly know it can be,” she said, later adding that everyone who “resists injustice” should continue to do so.
As The Daily Wire previously reported, Iannarone has described herself as “Antifa” in tweets, and as “antifascist” during an interview where she argued that “being opposed to fascism should not be something that people shy away from in 2020.” In the same interview, she also said that she condemns violence and “believes that violence is bad no matter who’s doing it.”
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, who has presided over the city throughout months of unrest and rioting, declared after his victory was projected that he would “rebuild confidence” in the city’s law enforcement, according to Fox News.
“We’re going to need to come together as never before to address short-term issues and the long-term changes and investments needed to rebuild our economy, rebuild confidence in law enforcement and restore hope for our future,” said Wheeler.
Back in mid-September, a survey conducted for the Portland Business Alliance showed Wheeler trailing Iannarone by 11 points, prompting concerns that Iannarone, who has been photographed wearing a skirt with communist leaders on it, including Che Guevara and Mao Zedong, could take the city.
Look at the skirt. pic.twitter.com/kAu3a3PgUF
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) October 5, 2020
“Wheeler polled at 30% to Iannarone’s 41%, with the remaining 29% of surveyed voters split between writing in a candidate (16%) or remaining undecided (13%),” local newspaper the Willamette Week reported at the time. “It’s an especially notable result given that the poll was not conducted by either campaign, though PBA is supporting the mayor. (The poll has a four percentage point margin of error.)”
The Williamette Week has described Iannarone in the past as “an unknown Portland State University bureaucrat…preaching the value of sustainability and smarter transportation and land-use policies.”
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