Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam endorse Portland City Council candidate

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – District 3 Portland City Council candidate Jesse Cornett received an endorsement from Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam during their sold-out performance at the Moda Center Friday night, the candidate announced.

During the introduction to “Even Flow,” a song about a homeless man Vedder encountered more than three decades ago, Vedder spoke about the band’s work on homelessness – including raising nearly $11 million at two shows at Safeco Field, now known as T-Mobile Park, in Seattle.

Vedder then discussed Portland.

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“There’s some good people. One that I know here: His name is Jesse Cornett. And he’ll be running for city council. I met him years ago. There’s three spots — and just keep your eye out for his name, OK? And know that he’s got our backing. And we trust him. He’s a solid human fighting for solid, solid things. Good luck, Jesse,” Vedder said.

Cornett met Vedder in 2020 while working as a top aide for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign.

“Cornett and Vedder’s shared compassion for those in need was the primary focus of their discussion during their initial meeting,” Cornett’s campaign said in a press release. “Cornett’s work over the past two-plus decades has netted him many contacts that he will use to help everyday Portlanders if elected.”

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Reacting to the endorsement, Cornett told KOIN 6 News, “Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam have been activists as long as they’ve been a band. Like myself and my former boss, Senator Bernie Sanders, they care about the needs of community members they don’t even know. Pearl Jam’s support shines a spotlight on the network my career has allowed me to build and will be an asset when elected to city council.”

Cornett currently works as the policy and advocacy director for Oregon Recovers and previously served as a top government relations official at Portland State University before moving on to teach political science.

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