Who Are Oregon’s Power Players Supporting for President?

Monday, October 05, 2015
Brendan Murray, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Hillary Clinton

Records of the latest campaign contributions for the Presidential Primaries are in, and GoLocal reviewed the data to find out who is leading the candidates among Oregonians. Jeb Bush has raised more money in the Beaver State than any other Republican while Hillary Clinton leads the way for the Democrats.

According to records released by the Federal Election Commission this week, Clinton has raised $120,352 in Oregon thus far, while Bush has raised $71,750. Both amassed their campaign fortunes by relying on high-sum donations. 

SEE SLIDES BELOW: See who Oregon's Power Players are Supporting for President

Clinton’s donors on average gave $358 per donation in Oregon, and she received 120 maximum donations of $2,7000. Bush, meanwhile, received an average donation of $2,050 and 24 max donations.

Rebecca Tweed, Political and Communications Director at State Street Solutions, told GoLocal that finance records can be a helpful indication of a candidate’s chances of securing the nomination.

“Large donors see their money as an investment and assess the risk to writing large checks,” Tweed said. “They don’t want to look foolish with their contributions, so they’re giving to candidates either they get behind personally, or that other influencers tell them have the best shot at winning.”

Putting Their Money Where Their Mouth Is

Despite coming in first among Republicans in Oregon in an August poll, Donald Trump has yet to receive a single donation from voters in Oregon. 

Bill Currier, Chairman of the Republican Party of Oregon, told GoLocal that fundraising information can sometimes be a better predictor of long-term success than poll numbers.  By donating money, voters show that they believe the candidate can win, or at least make a legitimate run for the White House.

“Early in the game certain people will take control of the limelight, of the coverage surrounding the campaigns,” Currier said. “As the race progresses, and it becomes more about policy and substance, different people are going to rise to the surface and have more success financially.”

Tweed said she was not surprised that the state’s Republicans were slow to donate to the brash New York businessman, rather than other established candidates in the race.

“In true form, Republicans want to spend their money wisely, and when and where it matters most,” Tweed said.  “Across the board, because Oregon’s primary is so late in the game, I assume many voters will wait to donate to the candidates they know will still be in play when May 2016 comes around.”

Jeb Bush

More Money or More Donors?

Despite Clinton and Bush’s lead on fundraising in the state, neither received the most individual donations to their respective parties. That honor would belong to Bernie Sanders and Marco Rubio.

Sanders filled his piggy-bank with low-sum donations from hundreds of donors in the state of Oregon. More than 475 Oregonians donated to this campaign, giving an average of roughly $170 per contribution.

Rubio did the same, raising $21,271 in Oregon from more than 90 donors, who gave an average of $233 per donation.

Tweed, of State Street Solutions, said that at this stage of the primaries, the number of donors may carry more weight than a sum on a bank statement.

“Of course, ideally, you’d want to be the candidate that has the most of both,” Tweed said. “However, at this stage, I think the number of donors, and who the donors are, is an important indicator of which candidate is working hard to connect with regular, every-day American voters. It’s no surprise that Clinton has more money in the bank, but it isn’t as challenging to get large donor checks. It’s the smaller checks and the quantity of them that show how many real people, real voters, are behind a candidate.”