For Immediate Release
Contact: Eddie Kurtz, [email protected] and (503) 883-8887
After new reporting exposed Christine Drazan for accepting $70,000 – including $20,000 just a few weeks ago – in campaign contributions from David Gore and his wife, “who bankrolled one of the main organizers of the Jan. 6 rally,” the Democratic Party of Oregon is calling on Christine Drazan to immediately return the contributions.
“Conservative megadonor” David Gore is “a major funder of the far-right Tea Party Patriots, which helped organize the Jan. 6, 2021 rally in support of former President Donald Trump that led to the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.”
Even more troubling, Drazan’s backer gave “gave $150,000 to the Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund” just one week after the insurrection.
The report also detailed Drazan’s ties to other far-right extremists like “far-right, anti-government militia leader,” B.J. Soper. Drazan used Soper, who is linked to dangerous groups like the Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters, as a stump speaker on the campaign trail.
Democratic Party of Oregon Chair KC Hanson released the following statement:
“It’s frankly horrifying that someone who aspires to lead our state is working with people who aspired to tear down our democracy through the violent insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021. Whether it’s the gun lobby, radical anti-abortion groups, or the top financer of the Jan. 6th insurrection, Christine Drazan’s campaign is backed by MAGA extremists. Her willingness to let someone who helped pave the way for a violent assault on our democracy fund her campaign is completely unacceptable. Christine Drazan must immediately return the campaign contribution from David Gore and answer to Oregon voters why she’s ok with cashing in checks from extreme and out-of-touch special interests.”
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