We’re a week away from the election that will decide (among other things) who will represent Oregon Senate District 24, an area covering much of East Portland. Unsurprisingly, that means a surge of money has been dumped into candidates’ campaign coffers to fund last-minute attack ads and shiny campaign mailers. But where is that money coming from, exactly?
For two of the three candidates, that question can be answered with a simple acronym: PACs.
Political action committees, or PACs, are often made up of a number of like-minded donors or employees of a particular company; together, they’re allowed to contribute more money to candidates than individuals can. PACs have been criticized by open-government advocates and progressive leaders for allowing major corporations and organizations to, essentially, pay for election results that are favorable to their private interests.
A few big-name politicians who’ve rejected PAC dollars (like Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke, in his remarkably well-financed run to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz) have built momentum behind a national movement to weaken PACs’ influence on the democratic election process.
Locally, the District 24 candidates with the biggest financial backing going into next week’s election—incumbent Senator Rod Monroe and former State Representative Shemia Fagan—have relied heavily on PAC funds to carry their campaigns. Candidate Kayse Jama, Director of Unite Oregon, has not accepted any PAC dollars.
Campaign finance records from the Oregon Secretary of State’s office show that since the beginning of March, Fagan has received $34,876 in PAC contributions. Monroe, meanwhile, has taken in a whopping $147,935 in the same two-month period.
The majority of PACs backing Fagan, a lawyer, represent trial lawyers, educators, and unions. Those backing Monroe, a landlord, represent real estate agencies, contractors, home owners, doctors, and Oregon Senate Democrats (who kicked in a hefty $8,200 donation).
Jama—who we endorsed, though we also think Fagan’s a good vote—has pledged from the beginning of his campaign to not accept any PAC donations. Instead, his campaign has banked on individual donations to get him to the finish line. His largest donation from an individual is $1,000.
We’ll check back in on candidates’ finances as election day creeps closer.
