Portland councilwoman who said voting for Latino opponent was a vote for 'white supremacy' loses race

Far-left Portland City Council commissioner Jo An Hardesty conceded on Wednesday to her moderate challenger, lawyer Rene Gonzalez, who she once suggested was associated with white supremacy.

“Earlier today, I offered my congratulations to Mr. Rene Gonzalez,” Hardesty said to KOIN 6 News. “I wished him well in his new role.”

Elected in 2019, Hardesty was a vocal supporter of the “defund the police” movement. She once rallied far-left activists to try to get a contracted city worker fired for displaying a Thin Blue Line flag decal on his truck, even issuing an official statement from her city council office about how it was a “symbol of white supremacy.”

The councilwoman said last week that a vote for Gonzalez, who is part Latino, is a vote for white supremacy.

“This election will determine if Portland moves towards a more humane, anti-racist future, or if we will slide back into Oregon's white supremacist and classist history,” she said in a get-out-the-vote tweet on Nov. 1. “Talk to your neighbors, organize your community. Every single vote matters.”

Gonzalez pushed back, replying, “Be better, Jo An. I am the proud son of a Mexican migrant worker, married to a Latina woman, raising 3 biracial children. Working towards a city that doesn't judge people or candidates based on their race. This election is about restoring livability & safety for all races.”

Be better Jo Ann.
I am the proud son of a Mexican migrant worker, married to a Latina woman, raising 3 biracial children. Working towards a city that doesn't judge people or candidates based on their race.
This election is about restoring livability & safety for all races. https://t.co/nOvZNAD6Ea

— Rene For Portland (@reneforportland) November 2, 2022

A lifelong Democrat, Gonzalez drew attention to the rampant homelessness and crime in Portland during his campaign. Violent crime has surged 38% between 2020 and 2021, according to FBI data.

Law enforcements veterans around the country have blamed the “defund the police” movement for short-staffing, burnout and low morale among officers. Portland was the site of massive George Floyd protests in 2020 and has struggled with rising crime since.

Hispanics who support law enforcement have been attacked by progressives as racist. In September, a Latino San Francisco Police Officer was accused by the public defender’s office of racially discrimination against Latino drug dealers, but his defenders say that couldn’t be helped because the area’s dealers are mostly Honduran.

The soon-to-be-former city commissioner has been embroiled in other scandals outside politics. Bank of America sued Hardesty in Nov. 2021 over $16,000 in unpaid credit card debt. Last month, she was also accused of stolen valor after a veteran made a FOIA request for her military service record.

Hardesty has not yet said if she will run for reelection in 2024 for one of the 12 new city council seats that will be created if a pending charter reform referendum passes.