"Best Local Politician: John Eder" in the Portland Phoenix Best of 2006: April 21, 2006

Seriously, how can you not like John Eder? Sure those of you who've run ardently against him and just as ardently lost, you might not like him too much. And the conservative Republicans among us probably regard him as a sideshow freak of liberal ideology and niceness. But the rest of us, we pretty much dig him. Eder has been a reppresentative to the State House from Portland's West End since 2002 (he runs for re-election to his third term this November). Since he's the only Green in the House of Representatives, Eder often has to put with extra BS from the Democrats and Republicans without much opportunity to throw his political weight around because, well, he's one Green in a sea of blue and red. But, despite his challenges, Eder does stand up for what he believes in and keeps in close contact with his constituents back home by hosting such events as a free workshop on how to perform CPR on your pet a vigil for the Iraq War dead on the Casco Bay Bridge, and just in general beign the friendly, politician-of-the-people that has got him this far.