Oregon state legislature passes bill limiting campaign contributions

The Oregon state legislature passed a campaign finance reform bill on Thursday that caps the amount of money political parties and individuals can contribute to candidates. 

Oregon is one of about a dozen states that doesn’t have limits on campaign contributions. The bill was passed after wealthy donors contributed millions of dollars to recent state races, the Associated Press reported. 

Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek supports the bill, which is headed to her desk. 

After the bill is enacted, it will take effect in 2027. The bill aligns with federal limits for campaign contributions from individuals to candidates. 

According to the bill, $3,300 is the maximum contribution that individuals and corporations can make to a statewide candidate per election cycle. Political party committees can contribute up to $30,000 and “membership organizations,” like labor unions and nonprofit advocacy groups, can contribute up to $26,400. 

The limits for political party committees and “membership organizations” are lower for non-statewide candidates, such as those running in legislative, district attorney or circuit court judge elections. The former group can contribute up to $15,000, and the latter, $13,200. 

Starting in 2028, the secretary of state will create an online dashboard listing the top 100 contributors to candidates or campaign committees, as well as show how much is contributed to candidates by industry groups. 

In the 2022 gubernatorial election, billionaire Phil Knight, co-founder of Oregon-based Nike, contributed $1.5 million to Republican candidate Christine Drazan and more than $3.7 million to unaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson. The Democratic candidate, Kotek, won the race.