Current News

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.

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.

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

From COVID-19 to the historic expulsion of an Oregon House member, 2021 politics never stopped being interesting.

The voters of Oregon want campaign finance limits so much that 78 percent voted to amend the state Constitution last year to expressly allow them (Measure 107). So where are they? The Legislature s…

Billion-dollar donations would be legal under one of the proposals.

After talks between left-leaning organizations broke down, three groups have filed competing proposals for reining in political spending.

Citing The Oregonian/OregonLive's reporting, a U.S. senator questioned Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler about the influence of corporate money on environmental policy. Hear what the mayor said.

Campaigns in Oregon during the 2018 election cycle were funded largely by a few individuals and groups concentrated in the greater Portland area.

Reforming Oregon's campaign finance laws was a priority heading into the 2019 Legislature, but some advocates are underwhelmed by the proposals.

Oregon voters could weigh in on political contribution limits and disclosure mandates in 2022, if campaign finance reformers succeed in getting an initiative on the ballot.

Following months of negotiations, labor unions and advocacy groups did not sign onto a plan for creating new campaign regulations.

A coalition of campaign-finance-reform-minded groups have filed three ballot initiatives with the secretary of state’s office that they want to put before Oregon voters next year. Honest Elections Oregon says its initiatives will help reduce the “perception and reality of corruption” in campaigns, increase transparency and elevate more voices in elections.

The state’s election watchdog has the power to issue subpoenas, but doesn't use it. It doesn't send investigators -- it just sends letters.

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.

State attorneys produced objections, but no documents, by the June 21 deadline for five federal grand jury subpoenas requesting state documents relating to La Mota and Shemia Fagan.

The owners of the marijuana business that hired Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan to do consulting work made significant campaign contributions to the secretary – and other Democratic candidat…

Congresswoman Val Hoyle's campaign reported it received seven separate donations from the cash-friendly owners of La Mota on the same day in 2022. If made in cash, that's a problem for Hoyle.

Federal prosecutors are seeking a wide range of records related to former Secretary of State Shemia Fagan and her marijuana moonlighting.

The Oregonian/OregonLive found tens of thousands in unexplained spending by the former secretary of state.

Subpoenas show the U.S. Attorney's Office has demanded a wide range of documents from the state involving Fagan and the owners of the La Mota dispensary chain.

Federal authorities are seeking records related to Fagan from across multiple state agencies, according to a source.

Shemia Fagan was supposed to be the next Democratic star in Oregon politics, but now she's about to be out of office due to a spectacularly fast-moving scandal in Salem. Reporters Lauren Dake and Dirk VanderHart talk about Fagan's rise to prominence and sudden resignation as Secretary of State.