Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton waded into Portland politics on Thursday by releasing a video endorsing a ballot question that would raise the minimum wage and phase out a subminimum wage for tipped workers.
Essential background: The 2016 Democratic presidential nominee gave a boost to city progressives pressing an aggressive slate of referendums on the Nov. 8 ballot.
It includes the question that would raise the city’s minimum wage to $18 by 2025 and phase out the tipped minimum wage of $6.50. Currently, Portland’s minimum wage is $13. It is already on track to reach $15 if the question is shot down at the ballot box.
Other questions include a stronger mayoral position and new limits on short-term rentals, chiefly backed by the Maine chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. All the questions are up against a stiff campaign from business interests and establishment Democrats.
In a recent speech, Mayor Kate Snyder said the questions are fueling polarization in the city. Uber and DoorDash, which would be affected by a minimum wage provision applied to independent contractors, have each given $50,000 to an opposition campaign.
Key quote: “Too many people are being priced out of Portland and so many other places because they can’t afford both to live and work in that wonderful city,” Clinton said.
What’s underneath it: Clinton’s backing may come as a bit of a surprise to observers. Her 2016 presidential campaign at first suggested that the federal minimum should be raised to $12, but she later backed a $15 wage alongside Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the progressive challenger in that campaign who easily won the Maine caucuses.
