Carmen Rubio

Carmen Rubio
Member of the Portland City Commission
from the at-large district
Position 1
In office
December 28, 2020 – December 31, 2024
Preceded byAmanda Fritz
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Personal details
Born1973 or 1974 (age 51–52)
Hillsboro, Oregon, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Oregon (BA)

Carmen Rubio (born 1973)[1] is an American politician and non-profit executive in the U.S. state of Oregon who served as a Portland City Commissioner from December 2020 to December 2024.[2]

Early life and education

Rubio was born and raised in Hillsboro, Oregon. She is of Mexican descent.[3] Rubio graduated with a degree in political science from the University of Oregon in 1999.[4]

Career

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Rubio worked as a policy advisor for Portland Commissioner Nick Fish and Multnomah County Commissioner Serena Cruz, and as director of community affairs for Portland Mayor Tom Potter.[5] In 2009, she became the executive director of the Latino Network.[5]

Rubio ran for Portland City Council in spring 2020, in a race to fill the seat then held by Amanda Fritz. In the May primary election, she defeated Candace Avalos, an administrator at Portland State University, to win election to a term that was officially to begin in January 2021.[6][7] She was sworn into office a few days before that, on December 28, 2020.[8]

On January 9, 2024, Rubio announced her candidacy for Mayor of Portland in the 2024 election.[9] She was endorsed by Oregon Governor Tina Kotek in June.[10]

In September 2024, The Oregonian reported that Rubio had received over 150 parking and traffic citations in Multnomah County since 2001, with her driver's license being suspended six times between 2001 and 2016 due to unpaid fines and failure to appear in court.[11] Rubio lost an endorsement from labor union Laborers' International Union of North America Local 737 following the report.[12] Several days later, after The Oregonian reported that Rubio had hit a parked car in a parking lot, transportation non-profit The Street Trust Action Fund rescinded their endorsement as well.[13]

Rubio finished second in the November general election, winning 40% of the final vote in the instant-runoff election.[14]

After leaving public office Rubio was hired as executive director of Janus Youth Programs, a non-profit that runs programs for at-risk youth, in summer 2025.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ Kavanaugh, Shane Dixon (January 4, 2021). "Carmen Rubio, Portland's 1st Latinx City Commissioner and proven bridge-builder, takes office". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  2. ^ "Carmen Rubio for Portland — ActBlue". Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  3. ^ Friedman, Gordon R. (July 9, 2019). "Carmen Rubio, leader of Latino nonprofit, to run for Portland City Council". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  4. ^ "Carmen Rubio '99". www.uoalumni.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Bailey, Everton Jr (May 19, 2020). "Carmen Rubio wins Portland City Council seat, first Latinx person elected". The Oregonian. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  6. ^ Jaquiss, Nigel (May 19, 2020). "Carmen Rubio Becomes the First Latinx Candidate to Win a Portland City Council Seat". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  7. ^ Bailey Jr., Everton; Schmidt, Brad (May 19, 2020). "Portland elects Carmen Rubio, first Latinx commissioner, sends City Council races for Chloe Eudaly, Nick Fish seats to runoffs". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  8. ^ Redden, Jim (December 30, 2020). "City Hall: Under New Management with Carmen Rubio". Portland Tribune. Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  9. ^ Edge, Sami (January 9, 2024). "City Commissioner Carmen Rubio joins race for Portland mayor". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on September 11, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  10. ^ Peel, Sophie (June 26, 2024). "Governor Tina Kotek Endorses Carmen Rubio for Portland Mayor". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on June 26, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  11. ^ Kavanaugh, Shane Dixon. "Carmen Rubio, a leading candidate for Portland mayor, racked up 150 parking, traffic violations, 6 driver's license suspensions". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on September 9, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  12. ^ Peel, Sophie. "LiUNA Local 737 Pulls Endorsement of Carmen Rubio Following Story About Poor Driving Record". Willamette Week. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
  13. ^ Goldberg, Jamie (September 20, 2024). "Transportation advocacy group rescinds endorsement of Portland mayoral candidate Carmen Rubio". oregonlive. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  14. ^ Macuk, Anthony (November 6, 2024). "Portland mayoral race called for Keith Wilson; Carmen Rubio concedes". KGW. Portland, Oregon. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
  15. ^ Peel, Sophie. "Former City Commissioner Carmen Rubio Named Executive Director at Youth Nonprofit". Willamette Week. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
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