Maybe it was the declaration that “The City is on fire!” Or perhaps it was his Facebook call to put out a campaign mixtape with local rappers. Or perhaps his early campaigning at the Sanders rally.
In any case, mayoral candidate and self-proclaimed front-runner Jessie Sponberg is torching all competition in a new KGW poll, taking over 60% of the votes, nearly tripling the combined votes for de facto frontrunners Ted Wheeler and Jules Bailey (who had less than 200 votes).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAMwI6S79OE
While the Sponberg for Mayor campaign doesn’t officially start till Feb. 1 – as reported by WOHM – it certainly seems that the former occupier’s base is already pushing, and his demand to be taken seriously is legitimate. He’s also opened the narrative that big money is pushing unpopular candidates, essentially robing himself in the garb of the People’s Champ. Read on for the official release from the campaign. #OutHere
————————————————————————————————————————————-
Former Occupier wins KGW’s mayor poll by landslide.
Then speaks at local Bernie Sanders rally against big money influence in local elections.
Plenty of people in Portland rolled their eyes last week when Jessie Sponberg immediately declared himself the frontrunner in the race to become the next Mayor. Those same eyes were undoubtedly being rubbed in disbelief when those same people saw the results of Portland news station KGW’s online poll.
Sponberg resoundingly defeated the rest of the field combined, garnering a remarkable 60%+ of the votes. Of course, this was a non-scientific poll, but even after the numbers were adjusted (apparently to remove multiple votes) Sponberg still maintained the same lead while the next closest opponent, current State Treasurer Ted Wheeler was a distant second with a mere 19% as of 9pm on Sunday. Perhaps most shocking of all was the fact the media appointed co-frontrunner Jules Bailey wasn’t even able to break 200 votes in a poll where almost 6000 people voted. In fact he was less than a percentage point higher than newcomer Sarah Iannarone, who had just declared her candidacy the day before the poll started. Yet still Bailey will be trotted out by the usual cast of characters as another big money candidate in a race that might not end up being about money after all.
In Sponberg’s opinion, winning the poll wasn’t so much of a shock as the actual distance between him and the next guy. In fact, Sponberg has been saying for years that sincere community relationships and real people mobilizing on a grassroots level was going to be the great equalizer to the big money politics which is already beginning to rear it’s ugly head.
It was only fitting that Sponberg’s Sanders-esque message was met with loud applause when he was the only candidate who spoke at the big rally on Saturday. Certainly the problems on display nationally present themselves in a microcosm in our little hamlet of Portland, and the community is looking for sincere leadership to address multiple crises created by backroom dealings with our elected officials. Current Mayor Hales even went so far as to first meet with Uber lobbyists off-the-record at a BBQ.
Following the rally at Pioneer Courthouse Square, the Sponberg for Mayor camp released it’s first unofficial commercial via YouTube, featuring a montage of moments from Sponberg past actions both in the streets and inside City Hall. Included is the clip where he first uses the phrase “this city is on fire” while launching into an emotional tirade upon the council in defense of housing justice.
Despite the recent success, the Sponberg for Mayor campaign doesn’t even officially kick-off until Monday, February 1st at Reservoir No.6 on Mt Tabor. 3pm.
For more information contact sponbergformayor@gmail or www.sponbergformayor.com
Cover photo via Ozone2016.com