Incumbents wage expensive battles for House seats

Four Republican incumbents spent more than their challengers to defend their Mid-Willamette Valley seats in the Oregon House.

That is not unusual. What is unusual is that two of them lost in the May 18 primary.

Final finance reports for the primary campaigns were filed last week with the secretary of state.

They show that Rep. Vic Backlund of Keizer spent $131,000, 40 percent more than his challenger, for nomination to a fourth term in the District 25 seat.

But Kim Thatcher of Keizer relied on three sources for most of the $90,000 she spent to beat Backlund — her own family businesses; the anti-tax group Oregon Citizens for a Sound Economy; and Your Kids, Your Schools, a group that supports charter schools and criticizes public schools.

Backlund had been targeted by Citizens for a Sound Economy for his 2003 vote in favor of a budget-balancing tax increase that Oregon voters overturned earlier this year.

At more than $200,000, it was the most expensive primary race for an Oregon House seat this year.

The reports also show that Rep. Jim Thompson of Dallas spent twice as much as his chief rival for nomination to a full term in the District 23 seat that he was appointed to in March.

But Brian Boquist of Dallas, relying on name identification built during campaigns for the 5th District congressional seat in 2000 and 2002, won the nomination easily over Thompson and three other candidates.

Boquist largely financed his own primary bid. He said that he would refuse special-interest contributions in the primary.

Reps. Jeff Kropf of Sublimity and Donna Nelson of McMinnville raised and spent more than their opponents in winning party nominations for new terms.

So did Al Shannon of Brooks and Mac Sumner of Molalla, who won party nominations for seats being vacated by incumbents Cliff Zauner of Woodburn and Tootie Smith of Molalla.

Democrats were unopposed for nomination in five of those six districts, and no Democrat was in the race for Kropf’s seat.

Republican Reps. Dan Doyle, Vicki Berger and Billy Dalto, all of Salem, had no primary opponents. Neither did Brian Grisham of Salem, Jeanne Deane of Monmouth and Claudia Howells of Salem, their Democratic opponents for Nov. 2.

Roger Pike of Gervais, unopposed for the Democratic nomination to Backlund’s seat in District 25, has not filed reports of contributions and spending.

Fred Neal, campaign finance manager in the state Elections Division, said state law bars from the general-election ballot the names of candidates who do not file the required reports. He said this is in addition to penalties imposed for late filings.

Pike, the Democratic nominee in 2000 against Sen. Roger Beyer, R-Molalla, said he would clear up the matter.

Detailed reports are required if a candidate raises and spends more than $2,000 in a campaign, even if there is no activity within a specified period. They are required to file simple certificates if they expect to raise and spend less than $2,000 — and no paperwork is required if the total is less than $300 and there is no political committee.

A look at the numbers

Listed below are total contributions and spending, and major contributors, through June 7 in primary contests for Mid-Willamette Valley seats in the Oregon House. Districts with no primary contests (19, 20 and 21) are not listed.

House District 17

Republicans:

Jeff Kropf of Sublimity, incumbent and primary winner: $48,025 raised, $36,198 spent, $32,155 on hand. $1,000 each from McDonald’s Owner-Operators of Oregon PAC, Threemile Canyon Farms of Boardman.

Sarah Helen Arcune-Novy of Stayton: Raised and spent less than $2,000.

No Democrat is in the race.

House District 18

Republicans:

Chris Blackburn of Silverton: No report filed.

James Buchal of Hubbard: $5,260 raised, $5,264 spent, 85 cents on hand.

Mark Greenhalgh-Johnson of Silverton: Raised and spent less than $2,000.

Doug Morgan of Silverton: $1,395 raised, $940 spent, $455 on hand; $4,480 in accounts payable.

Mac Sumner of Molalla, primary winner: $26,729 raised, including $8,500 loan; $25,015 spent, $2,214 on hand. $1,000 each from ABC State PAC (contractors), Oregon Realtors Association PAC.

Democrat:

Jim Gilbert of Molalla, unopposed: $10,605 raised, including $3,300 he contributed; $4,859 spent, $5,746 on hand.

House District 22

Republicans:

Al Shannon of Brooks, primary winner: $24,100 raised, $20,899 spent, $3,201 on hand; $5,866 in accounts payable. $2,500 from Majority 2004, House Republican political committee; $1,000 from Oregon Restaurant Association PAC.

Chael Sonnen of Woodburn: $5,952 raised, including $2,000 loan; $11,404 spent, $3,104 on hand.

Democrat:

Betty Komp of Woodburn, unopposed: $14,019 raised, $13,690 spent, $1,024 on hand.

House District 23

Republicans:

Jim Thompson of Dallas, appointed incumbent: $34,802 raised, including $3,890 loan; $29,381 spent, $5,421 on hand; $3,000 unpaid loan. $1,500 from Coalition for a Healthy Oregon (Oregon Health Plan contractors), $1,000 each from Oregon Realtors PAC, Park PAC (owners of mobile-home parks), R.J. Reynolds Co.

Brian Boquist of Dallas, primary winner: $15,100 raised, including $13,000 loan; $13,762 spent, $1,338 on hand.

Jackie Lawson of Dallas: $2,328 raised, including $2,200 loan; $3,830 spent.

Cheryl Lentsch of Monmouth, Jim Welsh of Dallas: Each raised and spent less than $2,000.

Democrat:

Dick Reynolds of Dallas, unopposed: Raised and spent less than $2,000.

House District 24

Republicans:

Donna Nelson of McMinnville, incumbent and primary winner: $11,636 raised, $11,956 spent, $4,735 on hand; $20,337 in un-reimbursed personal spending. $500 each from Georgia-Pacific Corp., McDonald’s Owner-Operators of Oregon PAC, Olde Stone Village mobile-home park, Waste Management Corp.

Frank Butler of McMinnville: $3,640 raised, $3,534 spent, $106 on hand; $512 in unreimbursed personal spending. $500 from American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Charles Mitchell of Yamhill: Raised and spent less than $300.

Democrat:

Timothy Duerfeldt of McMinnville, unopposed: $4,274 raised, $3,936 spent, $531 on hand. $250 from Citizen Action by Public Employees (Local 503 of Service Employees International Union).

House District 25

Republicans:

Vic Backlund of Keizer, incumbent: $123,751 raised, $131,000 spent, $19,794 on hand. Oregon Education Association, $11,569 for mailing; $5,000 from political committee of Rep. Bob Jenson, R-Pendleton; $2,500 from International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; $2,000 from Speaker’s PAC (House Speaker Karen Minnis, R-Wood Village); $1,000 each from American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Credit Union Legislative Action Fund, Lodge PAC, Natural Gas PAC, Oregon Beverage PAC, Oregon Nurses PAC, Oregon Restaurant PAC, Oregonians for Affordable Housing (home builders). $500 from political committee of Rep. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose.

Kim Thatcher of Keizer, primary winner: $92,475 raised, including $30,650 loan; $92,273 spent, $202 on hand; $29,650 unpaid loans. Oregon Citizens for a Sound Economy, $19,912 in materials and services ($29,734 total for campaign); Your Kids, Your Schools advocacy group, $4,500 ($13,400 total for campaign); Karl Thatcher (husband), $26,000 ($28,100 total for campaign). $500 from political committee of Rep. Jeff Kropf, R-Sublimity.

Democrat:

Roger Pike of Gervais, unopposed: No report filed.

pwong@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6745