Oregon independent gubernatorial candidate Betsy Johnson, formerly a longtime Democratic lawmaker, has secured donations from a notable list of major Republican campaign donors.

Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan and her staff refused to say whether she supports an expedited state Supreme Court review of her decision to kill three proposed ballot measures that would set political contribution limits.

Oregon business and labor groups filed challenges Thursday to ballot titles for three proposed ballot measures to set campaign contribution limits in the state.

At issue: Must state forests be managed to maximize revenues for the counties, or does the state have discretion to manage them for multiple uses, including wildlife habitat, clean drinking water, recreation and other values.

Rep. Marty Wilde, a Democratic legislator representing Central Linn and Lane counties in the Oregon House, decided last summer to leave the House Democratic Caucus, he writes, as the caucus became a forum for leadership to hand out orders rather than support democratic processes and legislation that best served the public's interest.

The proposal would open the door for a wide array of campaign finance regulations in Oregon, currently one of the most permissive states in the country.

Campaign finance reform activists on Wednesday filed an appeal asking the Oregon Supreme Court to overturn Secretary of State Shemia Fagan's disqualification of three proposals to limit political contributions.

The lawsuit marks the second time an elections decision by Fagan has been challenged in recent weeks. It comes as the Supreme Court is set to rule on another high-profile challenge.

Voters in 2020 overwhelmingly supported a ballot measure to allow limits on campaign contributions. Passage of the constitutional amendment, with 78% approval, showed once again Oregonians’ determi…

Letter to the editor

Secretary of State Shemia Fagan's disqualification of three initiative petitions to enact campaign contribution limits is inconsistent with previous secretaries of state and is a blow to Oregonians' efforts to diminish the power of big money in Oregon elections, the editorial board writes. Oregonians should hope that the state Supreme Court restores the effort and be ready to add their signatures to qualify a petition for the November ballot.

Senate Majority Leader Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, unveiled a proposal Thursday to ask voters to set campaign contribution limits. Unlike proposals by campaign finance reform advocates, Wagner's bill would allow unlimited contributions through a special political action committee and contains no disclosure requirement for political ads.

After Secretary of State Shemia Fagan bounced three proposals to cap political donations, one state senator says he'll try to convince colleagues to put a similar measure before voters.

Secretary of State Shemia Fagan says three proposed ballot measures dealing with campaign cash don't pass constitutional muster. Two more contain the same problem, supporters admit.

Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan, a Democrat, announced on Wednesday morning that she will disqualify three proposals to set campaign contribution limits, based on a 2004 Oregon Court of Appeals ruling.

Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan plans to disqualify three ballot initiative proposals for campaign contribution limits, based on a 2004 court ruling that previous secretaries of state have not enforced.

The race to become the Democratic Party’s nominee to be governor has attracted a lot of money for three major candidates. But Brownsville resident Patrick Starnes is making the case that all that m…