PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Keith Wilson, CEO of a trucking company, maintained a solid lead in preliminary results of ranked-choice voting in Portland’s mayoral race on Wednesday, according to Multnomah County’s second release of unofficial results, which positions him as the next mayor of Portland.

Not long after those figures were published, his opponents, municipal commissioners Carmen Rubio, René González and Mingus Mapps, congratulated him as the next mayor of the Pink City.

After 19 rounds of tabulation, Wilson led with 62%, while Rubio had 38%.

Wilson and Rubio’s results had not changed substantially since Multnomah County released its first batch of results on Tuesday’s election night. After 19 rounds, Wilson had 63% while Rubio had 37%.

Wilson told KATU News by phone Wednesday that he had received congratulatory calls from Rubio, Gonzalez and Mapps.

In a statement, he thanked his opponents in the race and said he will approach the job with “humility and leadership in our shared values.”

“Voters in every corner of our city have made their voices heard: they want change and for local leaders to work together to solve the problems facing our community,” he said.

Wilson will hold a news conference Thursday afternoon to deliver his acceptance speech.

In a statement, Rubio said he had called Wilson to congratulate him and wish him luck.

“My hope for him is that he comes into City Hall wanting to listen and learn from those who have been working hard to get Portland back on its feet,” he said. “We have made progress in recent years and we need to keep moving forward. We do not have a minute or a dollar to waste when it comes to ending homelessness, creating a safe and inclusive city, supporting our small businesses or addressing the other big challenges we face.”

Gonzalez, who was eliminated in the 18th round of vote tabulation on both Tuesday and Wednesday, also said he called Wilson.

“It’s time for all Portlanders to join us as we work to make Portland everything we want it to be and a city we can be proud of once again,” Gonzalez said on X.

Current Mayor Ted Wheeler posted his congratulations on X.

“Portland’s future is bright and I am committed to supporting him as he transitions into his role leading this incredible organization. I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves alongside the newly elected city council,” he said.

Wheeler did not seek re-election this year.

In a single-winner ranked-choice contest, like this race, rounds of tabulation are held that eliminate the candidates with the fewest votes. Votes from eliminated candidates are transferred to the voter’s next preference. The rounds continue until one candidate receives 50% +1.

You can see how votes were transferred and how candidates were eliminated by visiting the Multnomah County website. election results page for ranked voting.

Nearly 20 people ran for mayor this year, and for the first time, Portland voters were able to rank their top six candidates by preference.

After the first batch of results were released Tuesday night showing Wilson in the lead, the political newcomer adopted ranked-choice voting.

“When you think about ranked-choice voting, you really want us to embrace each other, not talk about the negative of the campaign, but focus on your message and what you’re going to do for Portland, what’s your plan, and I believe we were successful in the first round of ranked-choice voting,” Wilson told supporters at his campaign event.

All votes must be counted before the winner can be known in a ranked election, but it seemed Rubio, Gonzalez and Mapps felt they had no clear path to victory.

Multnomah County said it will release more counted votes Thursday at 6 p.m.

County data showed record turnout on Election Day. More than 130,000 people voted on Tuesday. The previous record was 110,000 six years ago.

Election officials expect 75% of people to have voted overall when all ballots are counted.