Oregon Governor Race: Kristof Leads Fundraising With $1 Million

PORTLAND, OR — It's been more than 10 years since Oregon was the home to a race for governor that didn't include an incumbent. That means that the race is more wide open than usual, which means more people are out there raising money.

That means that the 2022 election has a good shot of passing 2018 as the most expensive governor's race in Oregon history. That year saw Kate Brown, who can't run for reelection, and Knute Buehler combine to raise about $36 million.

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The primaries are still months away and the general is months after that.

Filings made public Monday indicate that 2022 might turn to 2018, say "hold my beer," and set a new record.

Leading the pack with more than $1 million in the bank is two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning former New York Times reporter and columnist, Nick Kristof.

While some of Kristof's critics are pointing to the fact that around 40 percent of his donations have come from two states that aren't Oregon - California and New York – and his donors include big names like Melinda Gates, Diane Von Furstenberg, and Angelina Jolie, the campaign is highlighting something else.

In just 12 days, the campaign took in donations from 2,522 Oregonians in 35 of the state's 36 counties.

The only holdout has been the around-1,800 residents of Sherman County.

Kristof is not the only one with a lot of money in the bank.

State Senator Betsy Johnson, a former Democrat who left the party to run as an Independent, has around half a million in the bank. But there's an asterisk. Most of the money was transferred from her existing campaign accounts. When it comes to fundraising for governor, she's brought in about $65,000. She has already spent it.

On the Democratic side, State Treasurer Tobias Read has raised $485,000 and Speaker of the House Tina Kotek now has about $500,000 after raising more than $400,000.

As for the Republicans, the three top contenders have all attracted donors.

Bud Pierce, who lost to Brown in 2016 and is trying again, raised and spent more than $700,000. Mayor of Sandy Stan Pulliam has brought in almost $500,000, and Bridget Barton, a political consultant in Lake Oswego, has raised $350,000.