Oregon GOP PAC hires same group Elon Musk used to canvass across swing districts
A political action committee focused on electing Oregon Republicans to the statehouse is spending hundreds of thousands on a controversial canvassing company Elon Musk hired two years ago to target voters in swing districts.
The Bring Balance Back to Salem PAC, whose largest contributors include Nike cofounder Phil Knight and lumber producer Sierra Pacific Industries, paid Blitz Canvassing $650,000 between Aug. 18 to Sept. 14 to hire door knockers for the campaigns of seven Republicans running in swing state House and Senate districts, according to state campaign finance records.
Those Republicans include incumbent Rep. Kevin Mannix of Salem; challengers Noemi Legaspi of Woodburn and Max Sherman of Hebo; and four candidates running to replace lawmakers who aren’t seeking reelection: Brad Hicks of Medford, Tracy Cramer of Gervais, Courtney Bangs of Knappa and Scott Hege of The Dalles.
Mannix and Sherman declined to comment, while the five other candidates did not respond to calls or emails.