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Oregon Voters Overwhelmingly Said Yes to Limiting Money in Politics. Then Politicians Had Their Say.

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Back in 2019, it looked like Oregon lawmakers might finally commit to ending the state’s outlier status on campaign finance. I had just authored an investigative series for The Oregonian/OregonLive, my previous newsroom, revealing how Oregon’s lack of limits on campaign donations had allowed corporate America to give more to sitting lawmakers, per capita, than anywhere else in the country and led ...
The strongest version of this narrative highlights a systemic failure: Oregon’s political class, despite voter mandates and public pressure, has repeatedly delayed and diluted campaign finance reforms. The 2020 ballot measure was a clear signal of public demand for change, yet lawmakers took four years to act—and even then, the limits were weaker than advocates sought. The 2026 bill’s sudden introduction, with minimal public input, suggests a pattern of evasion (ARC-0031 Evasion via Process) and...