A grassroots movement is underlining a new kind of political strategy in the city's first-ever ranked-choice election — by imploring voters to withhold their vote for a candidate even if they have the option to rank them.

Why it matters: The Don't Rank Rene campaign that opposes Commissioner Rene Gonzalez's bid for mayor is gaining momentum, thanks to social media and on-the-ground messaging, as well as donations from some of the state's biggest labor unions.

Catch up quick: Instead of selecting just a single candidate for mayor, Portland voters can now rank up to six in order of preference.

• If no candidate reaches a 50% threshold in the first round of tallying, the candidate with the lowest votes is eliminated. Then, the voters who selected the eliminated candidate as their top choice have their votes transferred to their second pick, and so on until a winner is declared.

What they're saying: Stephen Gomez, co-founder and treasurer of Don't Rank Rene, told Axios he believes Gonzalez is "uniquely unfit" for mayor and the campaign's aim is to show voters that even ranking a candidate last "can help them win."

Zoom in: Don't Rank Rene's website and social media ads highlight an account where Gonzalez alleges someone assaulted him on a TriMet MAX train and his use of $6,400 in public funds to edit his Wikipedia page. The city auditor recently concluded the latter violated campaign finance rules.

• With several five-figure donations from groups like Progressive Voice for Oregon, Youth PAC and labor union SEIU Local 49, Gomez said they plan to accelerate their messaging via digital advertising and mailers in the final weeks before Election Day.

The other side: Spencer Raymond, a spokesperson for Gonzalez's campaign, told Axios in an email statement that Don't Rank Rene is an effort to "intimidate and manipulate Portland voters."

• "They're out of touch with the majority of Portlanders who are ready to restore our city and eager for a mayor with the leadership and determination to move us forward," Raymond wrote.

The intrigue

Portlanders are wary of fake news and misinformation this election season, according to survey data published Wednesday from SmartNews, a free news aggregation app.

Why it matters: Their fears come at a time when artificial intelligence is making it easier to spread election lies, and many Americans, including educated elites, find themselves in a gullibility crisis.

• The concerns also underscore the need for reliable, trustworthy information from news outlets, political candidates, campaigns and social media.

By the numbers: 81% of Portland residents surveyed worry about attempts to dupe voters in the heat of this historic election, SmartNews figures show.

• 51% report being "extremely" concerned.
• Both figures fall below the national averages of 85% and 58%, respectively.

Zoom in: Portlanders spend an average of one hour and 46 minutes daily consuming news, 16 minutes less than the national average, per SmartNews data.

• 72 of those minutes are spent reading traditional media, while 34 minutes are on social media.
• 54% of Portlanders trust traditional media, while only 15% trust social media sources.

What they did: SmartNews gathered responses online through SurveyMonkey between Sept. 25 and Oct. 2, polling:

• 1,000 adults nationally (±3% margin of error).
• 400 respondents in each of the 10 metro areas, including Portland (±5% margin of error).

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🚷 Several progressive organizations that originally backed Measure 118, which would give all Oregonians an annual $1,600 rebate by raising taxes on corporations, quietly withdrew their support. (Oregon Capital Chronicle)

🙅 The Oregon Department of Transportation was denied $750 million from the federal government to widen a 1.8-mile stretch of I-5 at the Rose Quarter — a further blow to the agency's significantly burdened budget. (Willamette Week) 

🐓 Four farm workers who work at a commercial egg farm in southeast Washington's Franklin County are the first presumed human cases of bird flu in the state. (Axios)

🍹 XO Bar will close for good on Sunday, making it the second establishment by Portland restaurateur Sanjay Chandrasekaran, known for owning The Sudra, to call it quits this week. (Eater Portland)

🤣 Did you catch the hidden "rickroll" in your voters' pamphlet? (The Oregonian)

Is this thing on? Only one answer to this week's challenge and thank goodness it was correct!

🌋 Joby was at Powell Butte, Portland's other extinct cinder cone volcano (aside from Mount Tabor).

• On a clear day — and with pristine vision — hikers who climb to the top can see Mount Hood, Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, Mount Jefferson and even Mount Rainier off in the distance.

🐄 Flashback: The city purchased Powell Butte in 1925 to build underground water reservoirs, but the northeast section of the park was owned by a dairy farmer — the historic Meadowland Dairy — whose cattle were permitted to graze the hills until 1948.

👏 Round of applause for reader Scott C., who not only nailed the spot, but also the trail we were on — the Springwater Trail toward Summit Lane where the "mountain finder" is located.

Until next time ...