EDITOR’S NOTE: We’ve been looking at Representative Javadi’s campaign contributions as well, after he answered our questions about where his candidate donations were coming from. See his response to our questions – HERE.
By David McCall
My mailbox has been filled with mailers, most of them telling me how bad a certain opponent is, with a few telling me how hard a candidate is going to fight for me. Nice, slick mailers – the kind that would make me feel guilty for using them as firestarters, since they may have a slick plastic lining on them, and are probably so soaked in ink that they wouldn’t burn well anyway.
The other day I was going through my mail, filling my recycling bin, when I stopped to check the balance of those mailers and fliers. I found a flier that the Davis campaign left when they knocked on my door, providing some history of who he is, and why he would work hard to represent me.
I think every other item had come from the Javadi campaign, either directly or an organization supporting him. Note, most of them weren’t telling me what a great representative he has been, but rather scaring me with all the bad things his opponent would do. Negative campaigning at its best.
So I got out my virtual shovel and dug myself a rabbit hole, spending time checking out financial filings with the Secretary of State’s Office, where all candidates are required to report all contributions. This system is supposed to provide transparency to the voters. What I found is a true Davis vs Goliath story.
Simply stated, Javadi is outspending Davis a ratio of more than 14 to 1: in this election cycle alone, Davis has expended just under $40,000, while the Javadi campaign has burned through over $570,000!
So I wondered: Where is all that money coming from? I found that over $200,000 of the cash influx into Javadi’s campaign (just this year!) has come from a single source: the Bring Balance to Salem PAC. This PAC, formed in November 2021 in Portland by Greg Walden, now resides on a skip in Scappoose. This new PAC has invested an impressive $1.5 million in this year’s election cycle, but it also sits on over $4 million in the bank! Talk about a quick growth business model! Having a little more time to kill, I dug further.
In the past three years, Eugene’s own Pape and a few timber giants in Oregon (Roseburg, Freres, Murphy) and California (Sierra Pacific) have each contributed at least half a million dollars, but the grand prize goes to Phil Knight, who has contributed $2 million each year for three years straight! Yes, Mr. Nike gave six million dollars just to this one PAC, ensuring it will have plenty of money in the future, when campaign financing limits (finally) kick in.
One would think that with all that money, and backed by an individual who got rich with the slogan Just Do It!, they would be able to run a positive campaign, and paint a positive picture of their candidate.
Does it matter? I think so.
Rather than listening to the negativity, I’m watching for Andy’s slingshot.