Metro District 4 is getting a fresh face no matter what. Two political newcomers, Alex Phan and Miles Palacios, are squaring off to represent the district in the May primary, stepping into the seat Juan Carlos González left open to run for Metro council president. Their contest is zeroed in on housing, homelessness services and regional transportation, issues that ripple across Washington County and the broader Portland metro. Voters in District 4 will see both names on the May 19, 2026 primary ballot.
Who’s running and where they come from
Phan is a Washington County real estate broker and community leader who has chaired the Clean Water Services Advisory Commission and served on Metro’s supportive-housing workgroup. Palacios is a former Tualatin Hills parks board director who now works as chief of staff to an Oregon state senator. Both have formally jumped into the District 4 race, with candidate bios and endorsements detailed in county voters' materials and filings, according to the Washington County voters' pamphlet.
Money and endorsements shaping the contest
The money side is already creating separation. Reporting shows Phan has pulled in more than $100,000, while Palacios had raised roughly $13,000 as of last Friday, and Phan has drawn significant support from real-estate interests. Palacios, meanwhile, is leaning on union backing and a roster of local elected officials who emphasize transit and affordability. Those financial and organizational divides are shaping how each campaign talks about housing and jobs, as reported by OregonLive.
What the office controls
Metro’s council sets regional marching orders on everything from garbage and recycling contracts to long-range transportation planning, the urban growth boundary and housing programs. The council has seven members, and this councilor role is a part time seat with an annual stipend of about $68,000, according to Metro election information. The winner will also help oversee the Supportive Housing Services program, a voter-approved funding stream paid for by a 1% tax on high earners and large businesses that will expire in 2030 unless renewed, a detail that has tightened the stakes around housing and services funding, as reported by OPB and Metro materials.
Where the candidates differ
Phan is centering his pitch on attracting business development and improving homelessness and housing services, and his campaign highlights work on a 41 bed culturally specific affordable housing development for the Micronesian community in Salem. Palacios is putting more emphasis on transit improvements, expanding the housing supply and tying economic development to living wage jobs, with his materials listing a long line of union endorsements and local elected supporters. The contrast is clear enough, one candidate backed by chamber and real-estate interests, the other buoyed by labor and progressive officials. That split frames a broader debate over how Metro should juggle growth, services and budgets, according to candidate statements, the county pamphlet and campaign sites.
What to watch next
The May 19, 2026 primary could settle the race outright if one candidate tops 50 percent. If not, the top two will move on to a November runoff, which means late fundraising and turnout will carry extra weight. Voters can expect more candidate forums, fresh campaign finance filings and sharper messaging about the 2030 sunset of the supportive-housing tax in the weeks ahead. Official filing status and ballot mechanics are posted by county elections offices and on the Multnomah County Elections candidate pages.
District 4 voters will be weighing endorsements, union backing and very different fundraising profiles as they choose who will help steer the Portland region on housing and transit. For more, check each campaign’s materials and your county elections guide.
