County’s Modest Campaign Contribution Limits Don’t Apply to Multnomah County District Attorney’s Race

Multnomah County commissioner candidates cannot accept more than $568. But for DA candidates, the sky is the limit.

SQUARE DEAL: Downtown property owners are giving big to Nathan Vasquez. (Brian Burk)
By Nigel Jaquiss

Big money is starting to roll into the Multnomah County district attorney’s race 10 months before next May’s primary.

This week, challenger Nathan Vasquez reported contributions of $71,280 from downtown property owner Greg Goodman, $25,000 from Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle, and $10,000 from the Gresham Police Officers’ Association. Those checks dwarf the maximum check—$568—that candidates Julia Brim-Edwards and Ana del Rocio could accept from individuals in their May runoff for an open seat on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners.

So what gives?

Multnomah County voters approved strict campaign contribution limits for county races in 2016. Various legal hurdles stopped the limits from going into effect until last year.

But those limits don’t include the office of Multnomah County district attorney because, despite the name, the holder of that office—currently Mike Schmidt—is not a county employee.

“Although Oregon’s DAs are elected by and accountable to the people in their respective counties, they are considered state officers whose salaries are paid by the state,” the Oregon Blue Book explains. (Some counties augment their DAs’ salaries.)

Jason Kafoury, a Portland lawyer who helped pass contribution limits in the county and the city of Portland, laments that loophole and hopes to pass statewide ballot measures in 2024 that would impose contribution limits on state races. Oregon is one of only six states that have no limits on campaign contributions.

But in the meantime, Kafoury will play by the rules that exist: The law firm he’s part of has given Schmidt $10,000 this year. (Schmidt’s largest contributor to date is former state Sen. Chip Shields [D-Portland], who has contributed $16,000 to Schmidt’s reelection campaign.)

In the early going, Vasquez, a senior deputy district attorney in Schmidt’s office, has raised $151,000, while Schmidt has raised $89,000.

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