While Oregon lawmakers debated campaign finance limits, Phil Knight gave $2 million to Republican PAC • Oregon … – Oregon Capital Chronicle – CROCODOM.com

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Oregon’s richest man quietly gave $2 million to a political action committee that tries to elect Republicans to the state Legislature. (Amanda Loman/Oregon Capital Chronicle)
While lawmakers debated campaign finance limits last month, Oregon’s richest man quietly gave another $2 million to a political action committee that tries to elect Republicans to the statehouse. 
Nike co-founder Phil Knight gave $2 million on Feb. 15 to the Bring Balance to Salem PAC, which spent more than $4 million in 2022 trying to elect Republicans. Knight has given the PAC $7 million since it launched in 2021.
His latest check wasn’t reported until Friday because committees have 30 days to report transactions. It’s the largest sum any political action committee has received this year – the next closest was a $500,000 donation from the Oregon Zoo Foundation to a committee supporting a bond for the zoo. 
Knight would be barred from giving that much under a campaign finance bill passed by the Oregon Legislature that Gov. Tina Kotek has indicated she will sign. Beginning in 2027, House Bill 4024 will cap individual contributors at giving candidates $3,300 per election – or $6,600 to a candidate who runs in both the primary and general elections. Individuals could give up to $5,000 per two-year election cycle to multicandidate committees like the Bring Balance to Salem PAC 
In turn, committees like Bring Balance to Salem could give no more than $5,000 in a two-year election cycle to a candidate and no more than $15,000 per year to a caucus committee. In 2022, Bring Balance to Salem gave more than $860,000 to Senate Republicans’ Leadership Fund and nearly $560,000 to House Republicans’ Evergreen Oregon PAC, along with hundreds of thousands of dollars directly to candidates.
That spending helped Republicans gain one seat in the Senate and two in the House, though Democrats still hold a four-seat majority in the Senate and a 10-seat majority in the House.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated how much individuals could give multicandidate committees under House Bill 4024. The limit would be $5,000 per two-year election cycle, not $5,000 per year. 
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by Julia Shumway, Oregon Capital Chronicle
March 18, 2024
by Julia Shumway, Oregon Capital Chronicle
March 18, 2024
While lawmakers debated campaign finance limits last month, Oregon’s richest man quietly gave another $2 million to a political action committee that tries to elect Republicans to the statehouse. 
Nike co-founder Phil Knight gave $2 million on Feb. 15 to the Bring Balance to Salem PAC, which spent more than $4 million in 2022 trying to elect Republicans. Knight has given the PAC $7 million since it launched in 2021.
His latest check wasn’t reported until Friday because committees have 30 days to report transactions. It’s the largest sum any political action committee has received this year – the next closest was a $500,000 donation from the Oregon Zoo Foundation to a committee supporting a bond for the zoo. 
Knight would be barred from giving that much under a campaign finance bill passed by the Oregon Legislature that Gov. Tina Kotek has indicated she will sign. Beginning in 2027, House Bill 4024 will cap individual contributors at giving candidates $3,300 per election – or $6,600 to a candidate who runs in both the primary and general elections. Individuals could give up to $5,000 per two-year election cycle to multicandidate committees like the Bring Balance to Salem PAC 
In turn, committees like Bring Balance to Salem could give no more than $5,000 in a two-year election cycle to a candidate and no more than $15,000 per year to a caucus committee. In 2022, Bring Balance to Salem gave more than $860,000 to Senate Republicans’ Leadership Fund and nearly $560,000 to House Republicans’ Evergreen Oregon PAC, along with hundreds of thousands of dollars directly to candidates.
That spending helped Republicans gain one seat in the Senate and two in the House, though Democrats still hold a four-seat majority in the Senate and a 10-seat majority in the House.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated how much individuals could give multicandidate committees under House Bill 4024. The limit would be $5,000 per two-year election cycle, not $5,000 per year. 
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Julia Shumway is the Capital Chronicle’s deputy editor and lead political reporter. Before joining the Capital Chronicle in 2021, she was a legislative reporter for the Arizona Capitol Times in Phoenix and reported on local and state government and politics in Iowa, Nebraska and Bend. An award-winning journalist, Julia also serves as president of the Oregon Legislative Correspondents Association, or Capitol press corps.
Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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Oregon Capital Chronicle focuses on deep and useful reporting on Oregon state government, politics and policy. We help readers understand how those in government are using their power, what’s happening to taxpayer dollars, and how citizens can stake a bigger role in big decisions.
We’re part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website.