Poll: 63 Percent of Portland Voters Disapprove of Mayor Ted Wheeler as Riots Continue Unabated

Ted Wheeler (Nathan Howard / Getty)
Nathan Howard / Getty

The violent protests and riots in Portland, Oregon, continue unabated but if Antifa and anarchists are pleased with what is going on in the city voters disagree, according to a poll that shows 63 percent think Mayor Ted Wheeler is not doing a good job.

The poll was paid for by the Yes for Real Community Oversight of Police, a political action committee and Fox News reported on it, including the revelation barely 26 percent of voters approve of Wheeler’s job performance:

Wheeler, 58, has been the city’s mayor since January 2017. He previously served as Oregon’s state treasurer and as chairman of the Multnomah County Commission.

In November, Wheeler will face Sarah Iannarone, an urban policy consultant, in a runoff election for the mayoralty after failing to attract 50%-plus-one voters in the city’s May election.

In late August, Wheeler sent a letter to President Trump, saying “No thanks,” to the president’s offer of sending federal officers to Portland to help quell the nightly unrest.

“We don’t need your politics of division and demagoguery,” Wheeler wrote.

President Donald Trump and other federal officials have criticized Wheeler’s hands-off approach to the ongoing violence and property destruction, including acting secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, as Breitbart News reported.

“I urge you to prioritize public safety and to request federal assistance to restore law and order in Portland,” Wolf wrote in a letter to Wheeler after he rejected help from Trump. “We are standing by to support Portland. At the same time, President Trump has made it abundantly clear that there will come a point when state and local officials fail to protect its citizens from violence, the federal government will have no choice but to protect our American citizens.”

White House

The poll results were released Tuesday also show that 59 percent of voters think the city is moving in the wrong direction, according to Fox News.

The group behind the poll are working on a police oversight measure for the next ballot.

Voters were surveyed online and by phone between Aug. 25 and Aug. 30 and results have margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points. 

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