"Liv Østhus, AKA Viva Las Vegas, is an obvious political outlier. Her background as a stripper, bartender, writer, and artist is far from the laundry list of City Hall staffers-turned candidates, or nonprofit executives eager to make a political splash.

That’s part of what makes Østhus both intriguing and surprising. She entered the mayor’s race with a vision of bolstering Portland’s art scene. She’s talked about the power of arts and music as an oft-unsung economic engine, driver of tourism, and city revitalization—and we think she’s right. 

    She advocates for the city to create “cheap and abundant art spaces, while retooling existing downtown infrastructure to boost the city’s low-income housing supply.”

Østhus acknowledges her lack of government experience, but says under Portland’s new government structure, that’s not as important as it once was.

    She envisions the new mayor’s role as “more of a figurehead and a cheerleader” who can listen to and connect with Portlanders while bringing “enlightened and charismatic leadership.”

In her personal life, she’s raising a young daughter and previously battled breast cancer. Her cancer diagnosis ultimately led to a double mastectomy. 

    Unlike most of the other political newcomers in the mayor’s race, Østhus ran a serious campaign, raking in enough individual donations to qualify for more than $85,000 in public financing through the city’s Small Donor Elections program. She’s also in tune with what’s happening at the local government level, from homelessness policy to tax increment financing (TIF) districts that will bring groundbreaking redevelopment projects to many neighborhoods.

She’s firm in her support of downtown revitalization efforts. As a longtime dancer at Mary’s Club, she’s seen the transformation of downtown and the hit it took during the pandemic. But she doesn’t think the city needs to displace or put more burden on its unhoused population to achieve that.

    Make no mistake: Electing Østhus would be a bit of a gamble. Many doubt her political acumen and question her lack of experience. It’s a fair criticism. And while we applaud her focus on revitalizing the city’s arts offerings, we’d like to see her emphasize solutions to the housing and homelessness crises a little more heavily in her campaign. 

    But we also think many voters have been too quick to count her out. What if she’s the next Bud Clark? Clark, a local tavern owner, was elected mayor in the mid-‘80s with no prior political experience, yet managed to accomplish a lot, while producing the somewhat-iconic (at least around PDX) Expose Yourself to Art poster. 

    Østhus knows she’d be at a bit of a disadvantage, but she also knows when to seek guidance from policy experts and talented city staff. 

She’s funny, candid, and unabashedly authentic. We can’t think of another candidate who exemplifies Portland more than her."