Final Weekend Before Oregon Special Election Arrives
Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call File Photo
Republican businessman Rob Cornilles invoked former Rep. David Wu in his last TV ad of Oregon’s 1st district special election.
Heading into the final weekend in the all-mail election against state Sen. Suzanne Bonamici, the Cornilles ad ties his Democratic opponent to the former Congressman, who resigned last year following sexual assault allegations.
“The same people who covered up for David Wu are now deceiving you about Rob Cornilles because Suzanne Bonamici is wrong on the issues,” the ad’s announcer says.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Tuesday spent the last $200,000 of a total $1.3 million independent expenditure commitment in the Portland-based district, which has been represented by a Democrat for the past four decades. The DCCC was joined on the airwaves by Democratic-aligned House Majority PAC, which spent nearly $300,000 on a TV ad and direct mail opposing Cornilles.
Ballots are due by 8 p.m. Tuesday.
According to fundraising reports filed late last week, Bonamici raised $810,000 between Oct. 20, about three weeks before the special primary, and Jan. 11. That boosted her total raised to nearly $1.5 million, including a $200,000 personal loan early in the campaign, and left her with $236,000 in cash on hand.
Cornilles raised $522,000 in the same time period. He’s raised nearly $1.1 million total for the campaign and had $172,000 in the bank as of Jan. 11.
The two candidates received financial assistance from Members on Capitol Hill, including Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Boehner contributed at least $13,000 total between his campaign and leadership PAC to Cornilles, and Pelosi donated at least $17,000 to Bonamici.
