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CONTRIBUTION OF THE WEEK
HOW MUCH?
$2,000
WHO GOT IT?
State Rep. Rob Nosse (D-Portland)
WHO GAVE IT?
The Kate Brown Committee, a political action committee controlled by Gov. Kate Brown.
WHY IS IT INTERESTING?
Since winning re-election for her final term in 2018, Brown has continued fundraising aggressively. (She's term-limited from running again.) Brown raised more than $600,000 last year, despite her lame duck status, and sits on $925,000 today. She has said she wants to be in a position to help candidates and causes, but her modest contribution to Nosse is her first to any Oregon candidate.
Why Nosse might need Brown's help is a story in itself. Even though he's a dyed-in-the-wool labor supporter (and a former official with the Oregon Nurses Association), the three-term incumbent from inner Southeast Portland voted to modestly cut public employee retirement benefits last year. That irked public and some private unions that have vowed not to support anybody who voted for the legislation. It also gave oxygen to a challenger from Nosse's left: Paige Kreisman, who is seeking to become the first transgender candidate elected to the Legislature.
Brown supported the retirement cuts. "The governor wanted to make it clear she thinks Rep. Nosse is a strong leader who deserves to continue to serve his constituents," says Brown's campaign manager, Thomas Wheatley.