In recent days, outside money has poured into advertising in Oregon’s battleground states as Republicans seek to help incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez Delemer face a weaker opponent in November. This spurred accusations from Democrats that the move was interfering.
Democrats Janelle Bynum and Jamie McLeod-Skinner are in a tight race for the Democratic nomination in the 5th Congressional District, which stretches from Bend to Portland, and could take control of the nation’s House of Representatives. It is one of the few constituencies. Ads by both candidates are accelerating ahead of the May 21st deadline to return ballots.
An ad praising 2022 candidate McLeod-Skinner for “fighting for Medicare for All” and “translating progressive values into action” ran on a Portland TV station Wednesday. has started posting. Health Equity Now, a super PAC that paid more than $350,000 to air ads, registered with the Federal Election Commission on May 3 and won’t reveal its donors until after the election.
But Democrats, including McLeod-Skinner’s chief opponent, state Rep. Janelle Bynum, suspect the new group has ties to Republican operatives. It used FiDi Media, an advertising vendor that primarily works with Republican campaigns. And the group’s finance director, Trevor Kowalski, served as assistant finance director for former NFL player Herschel Walker’s political committee during the Republican campaign for Georgia’s 2022 U.S. Senate seat. Ta.
During Walker’s campaign, Kowalski reported sharing a speech with Sal Purpura, a Republican compliance worker who is paid by several national candidates and political action committees. In 2020, another apparent housemate of Ms. Purpura managed a PAC that bought ads to boost a North Carolina Senate candidate who was lagging in the Democratic movement. condemned In an attempt to undermine the strongest Democratic candidate vying for the chance to face incumbent Republican Sen. Thom Tillis.
This led Bynum’s campaign to call the Health Equity Now ad “shady Republican election interference.”
“Democrats need to know what MAGA Republicans are already doing. There’s only one candidate who can defeat extremist Lori Chavez Delemer this November and that’s Janelle Bynum.” Bynum campaign manager Blakely Wall said. “Let me be clear: Jamie McLeod-Skinner is a dream opponent for House Republicans because they know they can beat her. This shady Republican campaign meddling in the Democratic primary is even more That is alarming.”
McLeod-Skinner said in a statement that he has not heard of Health Equity Now and does not support private funding in elections. She added that her ads are right about her health care policies.
the other side’s argument
McLeod-Skinner and her campaign claim that corporations and Republicans are intervening to support Bynum, and McLeod-Skinner argues that Bynum is a weak candidate. The claim alleges that about $475,000 was spent on ads and emails supporting Bynum from the 314 Action Fund, a political action committee that exists to elect more scientists to political office. It originates from. The group supported Ms McLeod-Skinner in the 2022 election campaign and is currently backing Ms Bynum.
The 314 Action Fund also supported state Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Portland) in the 3rd Congressional District with $1.7 million to unseat fellow Democrat and former Multnomah County Commissioner Sushila Jayapal. Spent. intercept Based on anonymous Congressional sources, the report said the American Israel Public Affairs Committee is pouring money into the race through the 314 Action Fund because AIPAC disagrees with Jayapal’s stance on Middle East politics.
The 314 Action Fund does not have to reveal its donors until May 20, the day before the primary election. Meanwhile, Dexter and Bynum’s main opponents claimed without evidence that “MAGA Republicans” were behind the science committee’s political spending. AIPAC supports Chavez Delemer and contributes to campaigns for both Democratic and Republican parties across the United States.
“Given that AIPAC, which backs the MAGA Republicans who encouraged the January 6th attack on our democracy, appears to have already named itself on behalf of Janelle Bynum, I share your concerns that this is the case,” McLeod-Skinner said in a statement. statement.
She and her campaign have continued to raise money based on suspicions that Bynum is backed by dark finance to ultimately help McLeod-Skinner.
“Corporate and undisclosed funds are flooding into our district in a blatant attempt to buy this seat,” campaign manager Kelly McWilliams said in an email seeking donations Wednesday. wrote. “The reason they’re attacking Jamie is simple: They want a weak Democrat to run against Republican Lori Chavez Delemer in November. That’s why they want to make this seat red. It’s the only way to keep it.
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