Yes, we know he’s got money.
But who is it from and how does it affect his votes?
As journalists report on the millions of dollars Gordon Smith will have for his re-election campaign, they’ve unearthed the most important questions about his fundraising.
Where are Gordon Smith’s contributions coming from and how do they shape his votes in Washington, D.C.?
Smith Fundraising In The News
“The race is being closely watched nationally. Smith, the only Republican in the Senate who represents a West Coast state, is considered vulnerable. But he has a big campaign finance advantage over all of the candidates.”
(AP, 4-5-08)
After the May 20 primary, Gordon Smith will “…face the morning with at least $8 million.”
(David Sarasohn Column, The Oregonian, 4-6-08)
“The Pendleton Republican far outpaces any of the Democrats in fund-raising and name recognition.”
(OPB, 4-4-08)
Special Interests And Smith
The special interests have gotten what they paid for out of Smith. He has taken millions of dollars from special interests and repaid their contributions with a voting record that favors Wall Street at the expense of Main Street.
While cashing in more than a quarter million dollars from pharmaceutical and health care special interests, Smith has voted to ban the federal government from negotiating lower drug prices for seniors, opposed improving Medicare and left rural seniors medically stranded. In all these votes he cancelled out Democratic U.S. Senator Ron Wyden’s vote.
Smith has raised nearly $1.5 million from Big Oil and the other special interests who control his vote on climate change. He has heeded his special interest bosses and opposed Wyden’s bill combating climate change.
“Gordon Smith has learned that when you deliver votes for the special interests, they deliver checks for your re-election,” DPO Chair Meredith Wood Smith said. “From ignoring climate change to neglecting seniors, the special interests have gotten their money’s worth out of Gordon Smith.”
Inserted from <Stop Gordon Smith>
Whenever Gordon Smith pretends to be a progressive moderate, it is a lie. He does not represent Oregon. He represents the GOP party line. Oregon needs to elect whichever Democrat wins the nomination to oppose him.
Cross-posted from Politics Plus
