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Candidates for City Council Position #3 Fueled by Big Campaign Contributions

Loretta Smith has collected 84% of her funds in contributions of over $500 per donor

Honest Elections Portland has completed an analysis of the contributions and expenditures in the City Council race for the seat being vacated by Dan Saltzman.  Figures used are those reported by May 8, one week before the primary election in which two candidates will be chosen to go on to the general election, unless one candidate gets over 50% of the vote.

Honest Elections chair Jason Kafoury said, "Our effort to take big money out of the Multnomah County races, Measure 26-184, passed with  89% of the vote in 2016.  And we are actively collecting signatures to put on the November ballot a very similar City measure (PDX-03) which would limit contributions in city races to no more than $500 per contributor per election cycle.  We wondered what effect such limits would have on the current race."

The analysis, performed by Seth Woolley, shows that 69.4% of the $827,315 that has been raised by the five leading candidates for Position #3 came in to their campaigns in amounts that would be prohibited by Measure 26-184 or by the new PDX-03 measure.  These contributions were either by individuals in amounts over $500 per donor (or per political committee) were directly from corporations or other entities not allowed to contribute under the terms of the measures.

The candidate receiving by far the most in large contributions (over $500) is Loretta Smith (84% of her campaign funds).  The candidate receiving by far the most small contributions ($100 and under) is Jo Ann Hardesty.  Hardesty's percentage of campaign funds obtained from large contributions (over $500) is 39%--less than half that of any of the other candidates.

Kafoury added, "We see a strong need to limit contributions in the City of Portland to reduce the appearance and reality of corruption."

The findings include:

  • The leading money raiser, Loretta Smith raised $255,538, 84% of it from donations over $500 per donor or prohibited by the proposed Portland measure for which Honest Elections is collecting signatures.   Smith opposed contribution limits in the hearings at the Multnomah County Charter Review Committee in 2016 on the measure that became Measure 26-184.  If her "over $500" donors had each contributed exactly $500 each, she still would have lost 76% of the campaign funds she actually collected.

  • Stuart Emmons raised 81% of his $168,190 in amounts over $500 per donor or prohibited by the proposed Portland measure.  If his "over $500" donors had each contributed exactly $500 each, he still would have lost 68% of the campaign funds he actually collected.

  • Felicia Williams raised 88% of her $93,740 in amounts over $500 per donor or prohibited by the proposed Portland measure.  If her "over $500" donors had each contributed exactly $500 each, she still would have lost 84% of the campaign funds she actually collected.

  • Andrea Valderamma raised 65% of her $130,391 in amounts over $500 per donor or prohibited by the proposed Portland measure.  If her "over $500" donors had each contributed exactly $500 each, she still would have lost 53% of the campaign funds she actually collected.

  • Jo Ann Hardesty, who had by far the most small contributors, raised 39% of her $179,458 in amounts over $500 per donor or prohibited by the proposed Portland measure.  If her "over $500" donors had each contributed exactly $500 each, she still would have lost 31% of the campaign funds she actually collected.

"We think large contributions cause a kind of corruption--a perceived need for the recipients to do the bidding of their large contributors, when asked," said Kafoury.

The analysis also shows:

  • Jo Ann Hardesty appears to have more individual donors of $100 or less (at least 962) than all the other candidates combined.

  • Hardesty has raised $58,375 in donations of $100 or less per donor, compared with $7,761 raised by Loretta Smith from donations of that size.

  • Hardesty has the greatest percentage of donors residing within Portland (90%), while 63% of Loretta Smith's donors reside in Portland.

Here is our analysis in full:
http://swoolley.org/files/pdx3donations2018.html

Source xls files we just downloaded from the SOS:
http://swoolley.org/files/Smith.xls
http://swoolley.org/files/Hardesty.xls
http://swoolley.org/files/Valderrama.xls
http://swoolley.org/files/Emmons.xls
http://swoolley.org/files/Williams.xls

We limited the analysis to donations on or after August 4, 2017, for the totals at the URLs above.

Visit our website at honest-elections.com for more information about campaign finance reform for Portland.  Or contact us at [email protected]. 

For more information, contact:

Jason Kafoury
[email protected]
202-465-2764
Seth Woolley
[email protected]
503-953-3943
Ron Buel
[email protected]
503-358-8677
David Delk
[email protected]
503-232-5495



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