how much?
$340,000
Who got it?
Oregon PAC Working Families Party
Who gave it?
Working Families Party National PAC, Brooklyn, New York
Why is it important?
This check is not only the largest check written in Oregon politics this year, but also one of the most mysterious.
Although the Oregon Working Families Party generally keeps a low profile (with 8,387 registered members, it is the state’s fifth-largest political party), its political action committee regularly makes unusual deals. In 2022, for example, the PAC recorded a $250,000 donation from Gloria Page, which it immediately spent on ads for then-Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tina Kotek. In effect, this served to purge potentially controversial contributions (not everyone loves Google, which was co-founded by Page’s son Larry).
Since then, the party’s PAC has been in a moribund state, raising less than $8,500 in donations in 2023 and only $311.66 in donations this year until it received a large check from its national chapter on April 20. It was only recorded.
Last year, the Oregon Party re-partnered with Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, which is active in voting initiatives and candidate campaigns in Oregon, so the funds could go toward campaigns supporting UFCW’s cause. There is. But political insiders and official documents suggest another possibility. That means the money could go to the benefit of Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt, who has less than a quarter of the cash on hand as his opponent, Nathan Vasquez (see “Witness”) For the Prosecution”, page 9).
The Working Families Party’s national PAC recently joined forces with two billionaire-funded PACs that support criminal justice reform: Mr. Schmidt’s platform, George Soros’ Democracy PAC, and Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg’s Democracy PAC. It has received generous donations from the Responsible Justice Action Fund. Schmidt’s campaign deferred the question to the Oregon Working Families Party, which plans to use the money for the primary, but has not said how.
With less than a month until the May 21st election and all spending must be disclosed within seven days, this mystery should be solved soon. So no matter where your money goes, it will show up in your state’s filing system.
