Campaign Finance Reform - in Oregon

“This is a very painful choice to make," one Democratic lawmaker said ahead of a key vote Tuesday.

Lawmakers have promised to further refine the law next year, after key provisions go into effect.

State leaders have warned Oregon is at risk botching its new campaign finance law. Some lawmakers acknowledge the bill they passed to fix it still needs work.

Legislators should reject HB 4018 both for the bad process that created the bill and for the betrayal of campaign finance reform objectives that it is, the editorial board writes. They should show their independence of the system that Big Money built by voting no.

Despite strong objections from state and national good government groups, legislators passed a bill that creates huge loopholes in campaign finance reforms passed just two years ago, the editorial board writes. If voters want to get rid of big money in Oregon politics, it appears they will have to do it themselves via a ballot measure.

Good governance groups that two years ago negotiated a historic campaign finance law with the Oregon Legislature now say lawmakers have betrayed them by backing a “technical fix” bill to that law that instead creates “huge loopholes” to political spending limits. Leaders at advocacy groups Honest Elections, League of Women Voters, Common Cause of Oregon, […]

Earlier this month, Patrick Gruhn cut a $20,000 check to Tony DeBone’s reelection campaign for Deschutes County Commissioner. Gruhn, a tech tycoon and lawyer currently operating an international cryptocurrency trading […]

A top agency official acknowledged that the agency couldn’t “provide a detailed cost estimate” or account for the law’s “ongoing costs."

One-term GOP House representative announces for Thatcher's abandoned seat

In one of only five states with no limits on corporate contributions to candidates, a coalition of grassroots groups seeks to enshrine the ability for voters to pass campaign finance laws.

The firms had been working to an investigate a crypto giant before Attorney General Dan Rayfield took office, the Department of Justice said.

At the center of the unfolding court saga is why the state chose two law firms to represent Oregon in an April suit against Coinbase.

Oregon lawmakers have failed to expedite the introduction of new legislation passed last year that limits campaign contributions to politicians and other public officials.   The Delay is Criticized by the Secretary of State and Good Government Advocates Their failure to give the matter due diligence has been met with dismay by good government advocates […]

Lawmakers have not made any changes to Oregon's campaign finance law this year.

The House Rules Committee unveiled a proposal to delay implementation of political campaign contribution limits from 2027 to 2031.

An unremarkable, technical fix bill could be used to delay the state’s 2024 campaign finance law limiting contributions and requiring more disclosure from donors Oregon’s historic 2024 campaign finance law meant to end million-dollar contributions and provide more transparency about political donors could be delayed for several election cycles if a previously under-the-radar bill passes […]

Lawmakers have scrapped an effort to make technical fixes to a law limiting campaign contributions. The law is set to take effect in 2027.

Lawmakers have not made any changes to Oregon's campaign finance law this year.

Oregon lawmakers have abandoned their attempt to postpone campaign contribution limits until 2031, Secretary of State Tobias Read said.

"How bad is this going to look to the public?" one advocate asked lawmakers.

State elections officials said last week Oregon is not prepared to enact new limits in 2027 as planned.

A technical fix bill could be used to delay Oregon's 2024 campaign finance law limiting contributions and requiring more info from donors.

“She was probably on track to be the next governor of Oregon.”

Former Portland Commissioner Rene Gonzalez has intensified an ongoing legal battle with the city and the office of its elected watchdog over campaign finance violations he faced last fall during his unsuccessful bid for mayor.

Chair Jessica Vega Pederson’s proposed budget cuts funding for the program’s launch.

The auditor's pitch alarmed advocates who have worked to curb the influence of money in politics.

Oregon Speaker of the House Julie Fahey says public trust in our democratic institutions is dropping. “This trust is the foundation of our country and our ability to self-govern,” Fahey writes in a…

The bitter allegations mark the latest in a series of setbacks that have dogged Portland's Small Donor Elections.