Jeremy Beausoleil Smith runs for Portland city council supporting the idea of Cascadia

On Cascadia Day this year, Jeremy Beausoleil Smith, who's running for a seat on Portland's city council in the fourth district, posted a video on Instagram talking about his support for the idea of Cascadia.

"We're facing a climate crisis and a hostile federal government," Smith said in the video. "We need to find ways to move away from the system we currently have. We need to find ways to build our economy here in the Pacific Northwest and in Cascadia – and shift away from dependence on the federal government."

Smith recently spoke with Cascadia Journal about his campaign as a progressive democratic socialist who's open to the idea of soft secession – and potentially, a Cascadia independence referendum.

"I fly my Cascadia flag in front of my house, and for me it represents my north star of hope," he said. "I wake up in the morning, and I'm seeing this awful news cycle that's going on. I know that there's a better way, that we don't have to be a part of this, we don't have to contribute to it."

Smith is running in the fourth district, which covers northwest, downtown, and some parts of southeast Portland. He grew up in Virginia, and became a supporter of democratic socialism while volunteering for the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign. Living in Washington DC during the January 6 riots confirmed his shift to the left.

Currently working as a project manager at Portland State University, Smith considered a run for council two years ago but ended up supporting fellow socialist Mitch Green, who currently serves in one of three seats in the fourth district. Because Portland has a ranked choice voting system (first implemented in 2024) and because of negative reactions to Trump, Smith believes the two most progressive candidates in the district will do well.

"It's been dubbed the most conservative district," Smith said. "But we only have one data point – 2024 – and that's not enough to really give it a moniker like that. I'm very much of the mind that the electorate is going to shift to the left."

"Let's get the idea out there, a referendum or something to really get people thinking about: maybe Cascadia could be a thing, maybe we could actually do it."

Asked to summarize his platform, Smith says, "We're in an affordability crisis. It's way too expensive. I'm going to fight to lower costs and make life easier, running on a platform of housing as a human right, bringing the Green New Deal to Portland, and pushing back against Trump's fascist agenda and standing up for our democracy."

He supports a renters' bill of rights, a rent freeze, and elimination of various junk fees imposed by landlords. He's supportive of creating a social housing program in Portland similar to what's happening in Seattle and Vancouver BC.

He's also a supporter of Portland Street Response and decreasing the use of police responding to people in mental health crisis. He notes that one of his opponents, Eric Zimmerman, one of the most conservative members of the council, has backed increases in police funding and power.

"[Zimmerman] put up such a big fight about this this resolution that would make Portland Street Response a co-equal branch of our first responder network, and that was such a weird fight," Smith said. Smith has also pledged to take no campaign donations from police unions.

There are currently three incumbents in district four: Green, a progressive who's supported by DSA of Portland, Zimmerman, a center-right councilor, and Olivia Clark, a centrist who supports clearing homeless encampments and cracking down on public drug use.

Other candidates who have filed for the district four election are Eli Arnold, a police officer and 2024 candidate; TJ Anderson, a disability student advocate; John Goldsmith; and Jamey Evenstar a renter and transit rider.

Smith is seeking the endorsement of DSA of Portland next week, noting that he's volunteered for various DSA campaigns in the past.

As for Cascadia, Smith says he's become disenchanted with the federal government under Trump and that he's open to many options. "Our system of government would be make much more sense centered around our ecosystems and the common natural disasters that we face," he said.

About a potential referendum or initiative on Oregon and Washington independence, he says, "Let's get the idea out there, a referendum or something to really get people thinking about: maybe Cascadia could be a thing, maybe we could actually do it."

"Everything's really expensive right now, but we're sending all of our money to a government that is hostile to us and terrorizes us. It's so obvious that this past summer we were being punished for our sanctuary city laws and being a sanctuary state," Smith said.

He notes that the recent faculty and employee strike at PSU, where he works, indicates Oregon is short on resources, and should look for alternatives in the face of federal cuts. "It's so nuts," he said. "Would you give your lunch money to the bully and then expect them to give it back to you?"

When asked if he'd support a future ballot initiative on Cascadia independence, Smith said, "I would be more than happy to be supportive of that. I'm very much about opening the Overton window and pressing the envelope on what is allowed in the discourse."

Smith is hoping to hit a level of 250 donors to his campaign by August in order to receive public matching funds. You can donate to his campaign at his ActBlue site.