Campaign Finance Reform - in Oregon

Court filings show the secretary of state faced debts and negative cash flow.

Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan has apologized for taking a job as a consultant for a marijuana company. The company is part of an industry that her office just audited. The Democrat is the state’s second-highest ranking official. She expressed her remorse in a Zoom conference Monday. She says she exercised poor judgment but has indicated she aims to hold onto her elected position. Republicans have called for her to resign. Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek has requested investigations by the Oregon Government Ethics Commission and the Oregon Department of Justice. Fagan says she is terminating her contract with an affiliate of marijuana retail chain La Mota.

Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan announced Monday that she has terminated her contract with private marijuana company Veriede Holding.

Political fundraisers now entangled in broad criminal investigation of diverted liquor.

Voters will cast their ballots by May 16 for the seat that covers most of Southeast Portland.

Top Republicans called for Fagan’s resignation, and leading Democrats cited major concerns in the wake of the Secretary of State’s decision to moonlight for a cannabis company amid an audit into the industry.

Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan is in hot water, with Republican lawmakers calling for her resignation and the Democratic governor seeking investigations

Oregon should prepare for the U.S. government eventually legalizing marijuana and position the state as a national leader in the industry. That's what state auditors pushed for in a new

“This appears to be an ethics violation and if it isn’t then Oregon’s ethics laws are broken," the House and Senate Republican leaders said in a joint statement.

On the campaign trail in 2020, Democratic secretary of state candidate Shemia Fagan promised voters she would bring a focus on integrity and accountability to the job.

With two months left in the legislative session, the issue of capping political contributions has received little attention and lawmakers are hedging on whether a proposal can pass.

New proposals introduced in the state Senate last week would set strict limits to quell the exorbitant spending in Oregon elections — without the same loopholes included in other bills introduced by top Democrats this session.

Top Democrats’ campaign finance proposals could protect the ability of membership organizations such as labor unions and business associations to continue pouring millions of dollars into candidates’ campaigns. They would also allow corporations and unions to continue giving directly to candidates.

Oregon elections officials on Wednesday fined the Democratic Party of Oregon $35,000 for failing to disclose in a timely manner that a $500,000 donation came from an FTX executive. A lawyer for the party said it would appeal.

An executive at defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX made a $500,000 contribution to the Democratic Party of Oregon — but not in his own name.

Both Gov. Tina Kotek and state lawmakers have pledged to take action this legislative session on campaign finance reform.

Data shows that corruption in the U.S. has been rising in recent years. With that in mind, we set out to determine the most corrupt state in America.