Campaign Finance Reform - in Oregon

While Oregonians have shown many times that they want campaign finance reform, House Bill 2714 - which concentrates the power to make large or unlimited donations in the hands of far fewer entities - isn't the answer.

Letter to the editor

Oregon lawmakers’ interest in capping political money was never particularly high this session — no Democratic leaders listed it as a priority — and now appears to be withering.

The auditor’s office informed the alliance Monday that officials had discovered a spate of violations after launching a review of possible undisclosed lobbying efforts by the group.

Oregon lawmakers are considering whether to adopt limits on how much individuals and groups can contribute to political candidates, after voters overwhelmingly approved a state constitutional amendment in November to make clear such limits are allowed.

Amy Rathfelder as of last week was no longer part of Wheeler’s campaign, which has since hired Danny O’Halloran to replace her as campaign director.

The campaign to legalize political contribution limits in Oregon is heading into election season with less than $10,000 on hand, after spending heavily during the summer on staff salaries and a statewide poll by a Washington, D.C. firm. The poll found voters of every age, party and region of Oregon overwhelmingly favor campaign finance limits and disclosure requirements.

Wheeler’s campaign manager calls critics’ scrutiny of his activity “borderline harassment.”

“Polluted by Money,” a four-part series published in 2019, exposed how Oregon’s lack of campaign finance limits led to an easy tolerance of polluters by lawmakers who benefited from campaign contributions.

Oregon's voter approved campaign contribution limits still do not apply to state level races, the secretary of state announced Friday citing an opinion from the attorney general. That's despite a state Supreme Court ruling last week that such limits are allowed under the Oregon Constitution.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler can keep spending from his war chest of large campaign contributions collected before the Oregon Supreme Court overturned decades of precedent and made campaign donation limits legal in Oregon, a judge ruled Friday.

Backers of strict curbs on campaign money in Oregon lost twice Friday in their attempt to quickly impose limits on donations to candidates for public office.  

The campaign donations the lawsuit challenges were above a $500-per-donor limit approved by Portland voters in 2018. Similar rules were approved by Multnomah County voters two years earlier.

The Oregon Supreme Court has dropped a bomb into the middle of the 2020 election, ruling on Thursday that campaign contribution limits do not violate the Oregon Constitution. The most immediate effect...

Portland city election officials say they’ll begin enforcing the voter-approved $500-per-donor limit after the Oregon Court of Appeals on Tuesday overturned a Multnomah County Circuit judge’s decision declaring campaign contribution limits in city elections unconstitutional.

The Oregon Supreme Court ruled on April 23 that campaign contribution limits do not violate the constitution, making them now legal in the state of Oregon. What that means, however, is not yet certain, as Oregon’s Secretary of State and Attorney General review to see if the ruling means a 2006 ballot measure would now take effect – the court had stayed the measure earlier.   Possible impact: This ruling means controls could now be legal on campaign donations in local and […]

Though Portland's auditor said the city is not yet ready to enforce the Oregon Supreme Court's ruling in favor of strict campaign finance limits, Mayor Ted Wheeler announced late Friday his campaign will begin abiding by a $500 cap on future donations. 

 The Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday ruled in favor of a voter-approved Multnomah County law putting a $500 limit on campaign donations. It could lead to new campaign finance limits throughout the state.

Oregon is one of just five states with no limits at all.

Mayor Ted Wheeler's reelection campaign has shirked some of Portland's campaign regulations, according to a letter sent by the city's elections office Tuesday afternoon. "After an investigation," writes City Elections Officer Debroah Scroggin, "I have identified three violations of city campaign regulations. I am issuing this letter of warning and education." Wheeler's campaign is accused of failing to disclose its top donors on his campaign website, on its Facebook page, and on its Twitter page....

Critics of big money in politics charge that Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler is failing to follow a new law requiring that big donors be listed in advertising for city races.