Current News

Lawmakers’ failure to act means that unlimited sums can continue flowing to gubernatorial, legislative and municipal candidates. But one legislator is already discussing a citizens initiative to change that.

Initiative Petition 17 would require people to obtain a permit to buy a gun and stop the sale of ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.

What lesson can we take so far from this year’s primary election results?

The Tennessee General Assembly recently passed a bill requiring 501(c)(4) organizations – often referred to as “dark money” groups – to disclose any expenses over $5,000 in the 60 days leading up to an election. Previously, these groups could run advertisements featuring candidate names and likenesses without being required to disclose spending, so long as they did not expressly advocate for or against a candidate. Now, doing so will trigger disclosure for any spending over the $5,000 threshold.

Everyone agrees that there's too much money in Palo Alto politics, even those who benefit the most from this trend. As advocates push to limit campaign spending, they face resistance from city leaders.

Former State Sen. Betsy Johnson is running for governor and Aumsville Mayor Derek Clevenger is running for state representative without a party.

Here's how a couple of primary elections could be influenced by the crypto industry.

The state scrapped traditional primaries to combat political polarization and legislative gridlock, but maybe it has to keep experimenting.

Democratic candidates are all-but scripting ads for super PACs and dark-money groups to do their bidding — in plain sight.

The result and lineup in today’s Supreme Court decision in FEC v. Cruz is no surprise: all the conservatives on the Court signed onto Chief Justice Roberts’ opinion holding that a loan repayment provision of the McCain-Feingold law is unconstitutional; … Continue reading Breaking and Analysis: Dividing on Ideological Lines and Breaking Little New Ground in FEC v. Cruz, Supreme Court Strikes Down Another Part of McCain-Feingold law →

"Today's decision can only bring this country's political system into further disrepute," wrote Justice Elena Kagan after the Supreme Court's right-wing majority sided with Sen. Ted Cruz.

Letter to the editor

The final days before an election are often when some of the most interesting political spending takes place and in the Democratic and Republican primaries for Oregon governor, candidates are going for broke as the May 17 election looms.

Wild things can happen in the final days before an election, and in the Oregon primary races for governor that meant a tampon attack ad, a mailer seeming to tout an endorsement the candidate did not receive and a variety of campaign-related complaints.

A complaint filed Wednesday with the IRS, Oregon Secretary of State and Oregon Department of Justice alleges that the political nonprofit Oregon Pathfinder might have exceeded federal elections spending limits and illegally coordinated with Republican Bridget Barton's campaign for governor. The complaint was filed by the campaign manager for Republican gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan.

Independent Neighborhood Action, a political action committee formed to “support the election of labor-endorsed candidates,” is sending out mailers in a last-minute push before the May 17 primary.

Even after $14 million worth of ads and mailers have touted Carrick Flynn for Congress, nearly half of likely Democratic voters in Oregon’s 6th District don’t know enough about the first-time candidate to form an opinion of him.

Oregonians won’t get the chance to vote on whether to decriminalize sex work this year.

In a matter of weeks, a wealthy Portlander named Aaron Boonshoft, largely unknown in progressive political circles, has become the largest financial backer to challengers hoping to unseat district attorneys in Washington and Marion counties. He's also backed a measure that would decriminalize sex work in Oregon.

Information about who gives money to Oregon candidates and how they spend it is available for free online, but it can be hard to find.

The last time Portland saw a contested race for city auditor, which was 1986, Bud Clark’s “Whoop-whoop!” ricocheted regularly through City Hall, First Thursday art walks were in their infancy and Kiki VanDeWeghe led the Trail Blazers in scoring, averaging 24.8 points per game.

Nine Democrats and Seven Republicans are seeking to move on to the November ballot to serve as the first member of Congress representing the state’s 6th District in what's become one of the nation's most expensive races.

Oregonians who don’t want politicians to draw Oregon’s electoral maps are giving up on their attempts to reach the ballot this year.

With just over two weeks until Election Day, the final push for Oregon gubernatorial candidates is in full swing. That means big money is coming in. So much so, that experts believe we could be in for another record-breaking year. In 2018, the gubernatorial campaign between Gov. Kate Brown and Knute Buehler broke records with more than $37 million in spending. Ad after ad. Sign after sign, that’s just what you see on a day-to-day basis, but every single one has a cost.

Republican gubernatorial hopeful Christine Drazan leads the state in spending this month.