Staff Reports
A new political action committee is spending lots of money in Oregon before the Democratic primary. This has people wondering if Republicans are trying to influence the election. In the primary, two Democrats, Janelle Bynum and Jamie McLeod-Skinner, are competing to run against Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer in the fall. Republicans want to keep control of the House, and this district is very important for them.
A super PAC called Health Equity Now is spending about $352,000 on ads supporting McLeod-Skinner. These ads say McLeod-Skinner supports Medicare for all and fights against insurance companies. The group behind these ads registered with the Federal Election Commission just a few days before the election. They don’t have to say who gave them the money until after the election. This makes Democrats wonder who is behind the sudden influx of money. The ad buying firm placing the ads has a history of working with Republican candidates.
Democrats raise concerns about Republicans meddling in a competitive Oregon primaryhttps://t.co/E4epnjroDu pic.twitter.com/NZPeDsq4Sa
— WBTW News13 (@WBTWNews13) May 16, 2024
The treasurer for Health Equity Now has ties to a political committee that raised money for a Republican candidate in another state. Bynum’s campaign is upset about this, saying it looks like Republicans are trying to unfairly influence the Democratic primary. They think Republicans want McLeod-Skinner to win because they believe she will be easier to beat in the general election.
McLeod-Skinner says she didn’t know about the group but agrees with the message in the ads. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has not formally endorsed either Bynum or McLeod-Skinner, but they have given support to Bynum in the past. Whoever wins the Democratic primary will have a tough fight against the well-funded Republican incumbent, Chavez-DeRemer.
