Rene Gonzalez (politician)

Rene Gonzalez is an American businessman, former politician, and a lawyer. He held a seat on the Portland, Oregon City Council from January 2023 to December 2024. He challenged incumbent commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty in the 2022 election, running on a platform that emphasized law and order and livability.

During 2024, Gonzalez faced a controversy over spending of public funds to redress his Wikipedia page. In late October, the city auditor’s office found that spending had violated campaign finance law.

In the November 2024 elections, Gonzalez was a candidate for the position of Mayor of Portland. During the campaign, the first under Portland's newly instituted ranked-choice voting system, Gonzalez was the subject of an effort to convince voters not to rank him regardless of the voter's other preferred candidates. Gonzalez earned 20% of first ranked choices but ultimately finished the election in third place behind winner Keith Wilson and Carmen Rubio.