UPDATED: This post was updated Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. to reflect the latest numbers. Wheeler opened with about 58 percent of the vote but that dropped to about 56 percent. Bailey opened with about 16 percent and that climbed to 16.5 percent. The margin between the two shrunk from 42 points to about 40 points.
Front-runner Ted Wheeler won the race to become Portland's next mayor Tuesday night, securing enough votes to claim the election outright and avoid a protracted campaign into November.
Wheeler needed to capture a majority of votes to prevent a general election runoff. He'd secured 56 percent of partial returns, although that figure is expected to change as more ballots are counted.
"I'm very grateful that thousands of big-hearted residents in the city of Portland put their trust in me, and I won't let them down," Wheeler told The Oregonian/OregonLive. "The voters trust me to help lead the city into the future and help chart a course for that future."
Wheeler had been expected to easily outperform his 14 opponents, but it wasn't clear if he'd officially close the race. He did just that -- with a nearly 40-point advantage over his closest opponent -- and will now avoid having to campaign against second-place finisher Jules Bailey, who recorded just 16.5 percent of the vote in partial returns.
The margin of victory surprised Wheeler.
"Honestly, it does. There were 15 candidates in this race," he said. "I think Portland was incredibly lucky to have so many intelligent and passionate people who were concerned about this city."
Possessing the title of "mayor-elect" may further increase Wheeler's influence in City Hall and accelerate Mayor Charlie Hales' lame-duck status.
Although Wheeler won't take office until Jan. 1, he's already been vocal during the campaign about some city business - including the timeline for picking a new director for Portland's urban renewal agency. Over the next seven months, he'll likely have ample opportunity to speak out about priorities or raise objections if he disagrees with Hales on key policy issues.
Wheeler, 53, has become one of Oregon's most accomplished politicians, and winning Portland's nonpartisan position of mayor could set him up for an eventual gubernatorial bid.
Wheeler first won elected office 10 years ago by trouncing incumbent Multnomah County Chairwoman Diane Linn. After his victory, but before he was sworn in, Wheeler set up shop in the county's headquarters and began meeting with county commissioners.
That level of involvement may prove more difficult this time, however: Wheeler is the elected state treasurer and those responsibilities extend until year's end.
Unable to retain his position as treasurer because of term limits, Wheeler's entry into the mayoral race last September dramatically altered the landscape of Portland politics. Six and half weeks after Wheeler jumped in, Hales dropped his re-election bid.
Briefly considered the heir apparent, Wheeler later drew two opponents who hoped to mount strong campaigns - Bailey, a Multnomah County commissioner, and Sarah Iannarone, assistant director of First Stop Portland.
But neither garnered much momentum, and Wheeler maintained a commanding lead. Polling released last week confirmed what had been obvious throughout the campaign: Wheeler was way ahead, building a 24-point lead over Bailey, although many voters were still undecided.
In the end, Wheeler claimed the second-largest win margin for a mayoral race in the past 44 years, trailing only Vera Katz's re-election cakewalk in 1996.
Wheeler watched the results unfold at Blitz Ladd in Southeast Portland, where he arrived just after 7 p.m. looking visibly nervous. He retreated to a back room about 40 minutes later, awaiting results with family, friends and advisers.
He didn't have to wait long. As Wheeler watched for a website to refresh from the back room, cheers erupted from the bar's main area as more than 100 Wheeler supporters saw the results flash across television screens, prompting chants of "Ted! Ted! Ted!" and "Wheeler! Wheeler! Wheeler!"
Wheeler campaigned strongly and raised about $900,000 in contributions - nearly six times more than Bailey - allowing him to hit television airwaves more than a month before the election.
Bailey officially entered the race in January after several other prominent politicians decided against challenging Wheeler. Bailey said he always considered his campaign an uphill battle but credited Wheeler, saying he'll be a "great mayor."
"I'm proud that we were able to push the conversation, give Portlanders a debate," Bailey said in an interview.
Wheeler's fundraising prowess and connections to the business community never became a central theme of attack for opponents during the campaign. Meanwhile, Wheeler appealed to a broader base with proposals such as a bill of rights to better protect renters from eviction.
Wheeler largely campaigned on an affordable-housing and homelessness platform, regularly saying Portland faces a "humanitarian crisis" because nearly 1,900 people are estimated to sleep on the streets on any given night.
He's pledged to secure shelter space for everyone who needs it by the start of 2019.
Wheeler said he'll meet with advisers Wednesday morning to begin charting a transition plan. Avoiding an extended campaign into November will give him the time to be thoughtful, he added.
"When I take office in January," Wheeler said, "I'll be ready to hit the ground running."
-- Brad Schmidt
Reporters Jamie Hale and Natasha Rausch contributed to this report.
503-294-7628
@cityhallwatch