Menu
Portland & Multnomah County · Nov 3, 2026

Partners Against Progress

They aren't Republicans. Some of their donors are.

125 individual donors to six of Portland's business-backed candidates also gave to Republicans like Christine Drazan. Among the progressive candidates' donors, we found none.

Donors to Portland's conservative candidates who also gave to Republican campaigns, 2006–2026 125 individual donors connect six of Portland's conservative candidates to Republican campaigns from 2006 to 2026: Christine Drazan, Knute Buehler, Chris Dudley and other Republicans. Many also gave to other Portland conservatives: Rene Gonzalez, Nathan Vasquez and Vadim Mozyrsky. 56 gave to more than one of the six.

Tap any name on either side to trace the donors. Hover or tap a dot for what that donor gave.

Gave to the conservative candidate Gave to a Republican campaign, 2006–2026 (thicker = more money) Also gave to another Portland conservative
How to read thisEach middle dot is one donor (grouped by last name and address, so family members at one address may share a dot). Gifts matched by street address, by ZIP and employer, or by hand review of the filing record.
125people gave to these six candidates and to Republican campaigns. 39 gave to Christine Drazan.
340gave to them and to Republicans or to Gonzalez, Vasquez or Mozyrsky
0individual donors like that among the four progressive candidates we checked

We know these candidates are Democrats. That's the problem.

Republicans can't win a council seat in Portland, so they don't need to. Conservative Democrats can tell the Republican story about this city, with some Republican donors behind them, and lend it local credibility.
The candidates

Separate campaigns, overlapping backers.

The Portland Metro Chamber's political committees, and allied groups like Go Portland Go, tell voters which candidates to rank. These are separate campaigns, loosely aligned, in races with no party labels.

Eli Arnold

Council D4

44% of donors also gave to Republicans or Portland conservatives

Eric Zimmerman

Council D4 · incumbent

43% of donors also gave to Republicans or Portland conservatives

Kellie Torres

Council D3

39% of donors also gave to Republicans or Portland conservatives

Julia Brim-Edwards

County Chair

35% of donors also gave to Republicans or Portland conservatives

Olivia Clark

Council D4 · incumbent

29% of donors also gave to Republicans or Portland conservatives

Steve Novick

Council D3 · incumbent

The wild card. 19% of donors also gave to Republicans or Portland conservatives

Share of each candidate's individual donors since 2023 who have also given to Republican campaigns or to Gonzalez, Vasquez or Mozyrsky. Source: ORESTAR, Oct 17, 2026. How we counted
Go deeper

Pick a thread.

Why it matters

Why a city council race is Oregon's real primary.

Republicans can't win here. So their story gets told by Democrats who can.

Why it matters →The donors

44% of Eli Arnold's donors also fund Republicans or Portland conservatives.

Every candidate, ranked. The four progressives: zero. And the new Novick donors who weren't there two years ago.

See who's funding whom →The votes

Clark and Zimmerman side with the business bloc on 19 of every 20 split votes.

Including the attempt to pull $10M from the police accountability office that 82% of voters created. It failed 6–6.

See the votes →The story

Christine Drazan's Portland talking points, with Democratic names on them.

Side by side: what Oregon Republicans say statewide, and what the committees backing these candidates say here.

Compare them →The economics

The Chamber says high earners are fleeing. Census data shows more of them.

Households earning $500K+ in Multnomah County, 2019 vs. 2024. Plus 50 years of research on tax cuts at the top.

Follow the money →The doom loop

Homicides fell by half. The doom loop story didn't change.

What's actually getting better in Portland, what isn't, and who's selling the decline.

See the data →Receipts

Don't take our word for it.

Every number links to a public record. Here is exactly how we counted.

Check our work →

Your ballot is already here.

Portland uses ranked-choice voting. Anyone you rank can end up with your vote, so only rank candidates you'd want to win.

Find a drop boxGet the share kit