Go Portland Go! is a grassroots coalition of Portlanders who refuse to accept that this city's best days are behind it. We were founded by neighbors who love this city and were tired of watching it fail.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Go Portland Go! is a citywide coalition of small businesses, people from civic and social organizations and hundreds of individual citizens working to make Portland a model of progressive government that delivers results. We believe Portland should not have to choose between its values and effective government.
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We’re primarily a volunteer organization. The small budget we do have is funded by a diverse group of supporters. 80% of our donors contributed between $10 and $1000. The rest is from community leaders and business owners who are committed to our mission of making Portland the model of progressive government.
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The steering committee is made up of Portlanders from business, nonprofits, and civic organizations who share a commitment to practical leadership, accountability, and effective government. You can find a full list of coalition members including our steering committee at Join The Coalition.
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Yes. We will evaluate candidates using a consistent set of criteria emphasizing collaboration, competence, creativity, accountability, public safety, economic vitality, and measurable outcomes.
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We’re looking for leaders who …
Prioritize local issues over national.
Fund public safety. Yes, including the police.
Support businesses. Small, medium AND large.
Make Portland more affordable. Reduce red tape, fees, and taxes.
Collaborate, compromise, and solve real problems.
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No, not generally. The DSA means a lot of different things to different people. DSA policy positions range from abolishing police and prisons to replacing capitalism with an alternative economic system to providing healthcare for all.
We believe extreme ideology is not the pathway to moving Portland forward. If a DSA candidate meets our endorsement criteria, we will endorse them.
We're small business owners, parents, public-school teachers, transit riders, nonprofit leaders, and lifelong Portlanders - pooling our time, money, and votes behind leaders who can actually run a progressive city.
We are the parents walking past tents on the way to school.
The small business owners watching foot traffic disappear.
The renters and homeowners who want safe neighborhoods and parks.
The citizens who believe that public safety and civil rights go together.
The voters who are tired of being told we must choose between compassion and competence.
We reject the false choice between values and results.
We believe progressive governance must work — or it loses legitimacy.
Portland is one of the greatest cities in America
We know it because we’ve seen it.
A city of vibrant 20-minute neighborhoods
Thriving small businesses
Beautiful parks and public spaces
Climate leadership
Bike lanes and streetcars
Compassion for the most vulnerable
Portland showed the country what progressive governance could look like when it actually works. We pioneered mass transit, preschool for all, supportive housing, free fare zones, and more.
But today, too many Portlanders feel something different.
Exhausted
Frustrated
Ignored
The system isn’t working for most people who live here. Not because our values are wrong. Because our leadership has forgotten how to govern.
Performative politics has replaced problem-solving.
Ideological grandstanding has replaced results.
Divisive rhetoric has replaced coalition building.
And while politicians argue, the problems get worse.
We believe Portland deserves better.
Portland is a city with generous values and high expectations. What people have lost faith in is not compassion — it is execution. Too many residents feel frustrated, unheard, and stuck with a government that generates conflict instead of results.
Join the Coalition
If you've read this far, you're already part of this. The next step is the easiest… tell us who you are and we'll find a place for you.
