WW: Mr. Gonzalez supported extreme candidates

Today we learned more about Rene Gonzalez and his efforts to elect candidates with ties to right-wing organizations. Mr. Gonzalez founded a group called ED300 that, by his own admission, was a predominately White movement that left out communities of color. Here is an excerpt published in today:

Last year, ED300 endorsed a slate of school board candidates across the state. More than half were also endorsed by Oregon Right to Life, Oregon Moms Union or Oregon Family Council—groups fundamentally at odds with reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, progressive sex education in schools, or all three.

Gonzalez says he and other ED300 leaders focused solely on which candidates wanted to reopen schools.

“I wasn’t doing the calculus that I was running for City Council,” Gonzalez says. “I was completely focused on how to get kids back into school safely. We didn’t get caught up in broader things.”

Whether ED300 successfully pressured Portland Public Schools into reopening of classrooms faster is a matter of debate. But it clearly propelled Gonzalez into politics. (He considered running for Multnomah County chair but felt he lacked the requisite experience.)

- Willamette Week (October 12, 2022)

Mr. Gonzalez recently downplayed the extreme views of candidates he backed in our recent City Club debate. Portlanders deserve the truth about Mr. Gonzalez.