Resourceful Lawmakers Find a Way to Keep Campaign Cash Flowing to Themselves Despite Social Distancing

The House Democrats invite lobbyists to virtual fundraisers as the May 19 primary looms.

Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek (Motoya Nakamura / Multnomah County)
By Nigel Jaquiss

With only about a month to go before ballots drop for the May 19 primary, a traditional and lucrative preelection Capitol custom—the lobbyist fundraiser—has fallen victim to Gov. Kate Brown's "Stay Home, Stay Safe" order.

But FuturePac, the campaign operation for the House Democrats, has come up with a virtual work-around: online cocktail parties that allow lobbyists face time with lawmakers before they earmark their clients' checks.

"Thanks to our great vote-by-mail system, we can rely on the fact that Oregon's democracy won't stop for the pandemic, so our campaigns are adjusting during this time," says FuturePac executive director Hannah Love. "Candidates are taking their voter contact, their town halls, and their fundraisers online to comply with the stay at home order and keep everyone safe."

The concept will streamline fundraising but may not facilitate the kind of one-on-one conversations that lobbyists will value more than ever in a year that poses unprecedented policy and economic challenges for companies and interest groups seeking a hearing in Salem.

Here's the invitation and lineup for the Legislature's version of speed dating:

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