Antifa supporter has 11-point lead over far-left Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, poll shows

In the Portland, Oregon, mayoral race, a supporter of Antifa — violent left-wing militants who've been causing mayhem in the city's streets for months — leads incumbent Ted Wheeler by 11 points, Willamette Week reported, citing a poll of likely voters.

What are the details?

Sarah Iannarone polled at 41% to Wheeler's 30% with the remaining 29% split between writing in a candidate (16%) or remaining undecided (13%), the paper said, citing the poll conducted on behalf of the Portland Business Alliance. The poll has a 4% margin of error, Willamette Week added.

While the PBA supports the far-left Wheeler, neither campaign conducted the poll; that was handled by DHM Research, the paper said.

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The results are somewhat surprising given that Iannarone finished more than 20 points behind the mayor in the primary, in which Wheeler nearly received the 50% plus one of votes required to avert a runoff.

At the same time, Wheeler has faced intense criticism throughout the summer for his handling of protests and policing. And another recent poll, conducted on behalf of a City Hall police accountability measure, had Wheeler at 26% favorability, the Oregonian reported.

What is Iannarone's connection to Antifa?

In 2019, Iannarone weighed in decisively for Antifa:

"To those who say Antifa are violent thugs: I am not a violent thug, and I am Antifa," she tweeted. "I am Antifa because the Red Hats are coming after brown & black people, after Jews, after queer & trans people, and more. They are coming after our democracy."

In an interview published Saturday, the Oregonian asked Iannrone to share how she would handle "right-wing rallies in the city and the counter-demonstrations that come as a result." Her response?

I would actually like to see less law enforcement there and more support of community engagement, more support of convivial spectacle. What would it mean for us to follow almost the vortex model where we're throwing community parties and it was teach-ins around everyday antifascism, and inclusive society in anti-racism trainings and mutual aid trainings, and how you can become a part of whatever commune — a community fair, even. How do you invest in pro social activity that's going to get your people engaged in a meaningful way, creating outcomes that you want to see when we have, again invested time and again and time and again in law enforcement only to see the outcomes not be positive. And so you have to try something new. ... I believe we could deploy more effectively to let these folks know that that kind of bigotry and hatred is not welcome here. But I don't know that we've been operating with maximum creative on this front.

Last month, KGW-TV conducted an interview with Iannarone that dealt with her support for Antifa. While the interviewer specifically asked her to address its violence, Iannarone never acknowledged it — despite readily available evidence.

Portland mayoral candidate Sarah Iannarone on antifayoutu.be