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Defend Oregon
| Defend Oregon | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Oregon |
| Type: | Political action committee |
| Website: | Official website |
Defend Oregon was a political action committee (PAC) based in Oregon that was registered with the Oregon Secretary of State and had campaign finance activity for every primary and general election from 2008 through 2018.[1] As of November 2025, it had not actively engaged in any political activity since the 2018 election cycle.
Background
In 2018, the Defend Oregon website stated the group "works year-round to protect Oregon from extremist groups with dangerous agendas."[2] On ORESTAR, Oregon's campaign finance database, Defend Oregon stated that the nature of the committee is to "preserve economic opportunity and protect Oregon's quality of life.[3]
Leadership
During the 2018 election cycle, Becca Uherbelau was listed as the group's director, Christy Mason was listed as deputy director and correspondence recipient of Defend Oregon, and Jef Green was listed as the treasurer.[1]
Political activity
Ballot measure activity
Overview of ballot measure support and opposition
You can send information about this influencer’s involvement with ballot measures to editor@ballotpedia.org.
The following table details Defend Oregon's ballot measure stances available on Ballotpedia:
2018
Five measures were on the 2018 ballot in Oregon. Defend Oregon supported Measure 102 and opposed measures 103, 104, 105, and 106. In 2018, Defend Oregon reported $8.78 million in contributions and $8.98 million in expenditures spent supporting and opposing the measures.
Oregon Measure 102 (2018)Measure 102, which was approved, removed the restriction that affordable housing projects funded by city and county bonds must be government-owned. Defend Oregon was one of four committees registered to support the measure.[4] Oregon Measure 103 (2018)Measure 103, which was defeated, would have prohibited state and local governments from enacting taxes on groceries. Defend Oregon wrote, "Constitutional Amendment 103 is risky and unnecessary. Supporters claim it’s meant to keep groceries tax free, but there is no tax on groceries and no one is proposing one. The measure is retroactive and so misleading and poorly-written that it would have many unintended consequences that harm Oregon families."[8] Oregon Measure 104 (2018)Measure 104, which was defeated, would have applied a three-fifths supermajority vote requirement to any legislation that increases revenue through changes in tax exemptions, credits, and deductions. Defend Oregon wrote, "Constitutional Amendment 104 is also unnecessary and dangerous. It greatly increases partisan gridlock by expanding 'supermajority' requirements to pass Oregon legislation. It jeopardizes funding for schools, Medicaid, affordable housing and other essential services, while also making it nearly impossible to eliminate special interest perks and loopholes."[8] Oregon Measure 105 (2018)Measure 105, which was defeated, would have repealed Oregon's sanctuary state law, which limits the cooperation of local law enforcement with federal immigration enforcement. Defend Oregon wrote, "The administration in Washington, DC has set a radical new path on immigration: deporting thousands of law-abiding immigrants from their communities, separating children from their parents, and introducing racial and religious profiling to immigration law. Measure 105 would bring those same policies to Oregon. By voting no, we can show that Oregon wants no part of Donald Trump’s immigration policies."[8] Oregon Measure 106 (2018)Measure 106, which was defeated, would have prohibited public funds from being spent on abortions in Oregon, except when determined to be medically necessary or required by federal law. Defend Oregon wrote, "Constitutional Amendment 106 takes away access to safe, legal abortion. By targeting public employees and Medicaid recipients, this measure would hurt the women and families that need access to reproductive healthcare the most."[8] |
2016
Seven measures were on the 2016 ballot in Oregon. Defend Oregon was registered to support all seven measures. Five of the measures were approved and two were defeated. In 2016, Defend Oregon reported $1.83 million in contributions and $1.65 million in expenditures.[5]
Oregon Measure 94 (2016)The Oregon Elimination of Mandatory Judicial Retirement Age Amendment, also known as Measure 94, was on the November 8, 2016, ballot in Oregon as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment. It was defeated. It would have removed the mandatory retirement age for judges, which was 75 years old going into the election. Oregon Measure 95 (2016)The Oregon Public University Diversification of Investments Amendment, also known as Measure 95, was on the November 8, 2016, ballot in Oregon as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment. It was approved. The measure allowed public state universities to invest in equities. Oregon Measure 96 (2016)The Oregon Portion of Lottery Proceeds for Support of Veterans Amendment, also known as Measure 96, was on the November 8, 2016, ballot in Oregon as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment. It was approved. The measure devoted 1.5% of state lottery net proceeds toward veterans' services. Oregon Measure 97 (2016)The Oregon Business Tax Increase Initiative, also known as Measure 97, was on the November 8, 2016, ballot in Oregon as an initiated state statute. It was defeated. The measure would have removed the cap on the corporate gross sales tax, also known as the minimum tax, and would have established a 2.5% tax on gross sales that exceed $25 million. Oregon Measure 98 (2016)The Oregon State Funding for Dropout Prevention and College Readiness Initiative, also known as Measure 98, was on the November 8, 2016, ballot in Oregon as an initiated state statute. It was approved. The measure required the Oregon Legislature to fund dropout-prevention and career and college readiness programs in Oregon high schools. Oregon Measure 99 (2016)The Outdoor School Lottery Fund Initiative, also known as Measure 99, was on the November 8, 2016, ballot in Oregon as an initiated state statute. It was approved. The measure created an "Outdoor School Education Fund," sourced from state lottery proceeds, to support outdoor school programs. Oregon Measure 100 (2016)The Wildlife Trafficking Prevention Act, also known as Measure 100, was on the November 8, 2016, ballot in Oregon as an initiated state statute. It was approved. The measure prohibited the sale of products and parts of 12 types of animals in Oregon: rhino, cheetah, tiger, sea turtle, lion, elephant, whale, shark, pangolin, jaguar, ray, and leopard. |
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this organization made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope. Know of one we missed? Click here to let us know.
Finances
The following chart shows contributions (revenue) and expenditures for Defend Oregon from 2008 through 2019.[9]
| Tax Year | Total Contributions | Total Expenses |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $19,583.64 | $192,696.77 |
| 2018 | $8,781,597.65 | $8,975,416.78 |
| 2017 | $172,376.00 | $377,612.57 |
| 2016 | $1,827,283.22 | $1,647,893.76 |
| 2015 | $93,829.90 | $1,661.50 |
| 2014 | $2,342,209.09 | $2,351,754.65 |
| 2013 | $67,302.27 | $112,780.88 |
| 2012 | $2,142,012.74 | $2,078,712.92 |
| 2011 | $0.00 | $81,376.07 |
| 2010 | $1,451,575.98 | $1,377,521.42 |
| 2009 | $586.45 | $401,541.92 |
| 2008 | $15,503,438.52 | $15,415,719.58 |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Defend Oregon'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Oregon Secretary of State; ORESTAR, "Defend Oregon," accessed November 17, 2025
- ↑ Wayback Machine, "Defend Oregon," archived November 20, 2018
- ↑ ORESTAR, "Statement of Organization for Political Action Committee: Defend Oregon," accessed November 17, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Oregon Secretary of State, "Defend Oregon Statement of Organization," accessed March 30, 2020
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Oregon Secretary of State, "Defend Oregon," accessed November 17, 2025 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "ORSOSFinance" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 6.17 6.18 6.19 6.20 6.21 6.22 6.23 6.24 6.25 6.26 6.27 Follow the Money, "Defend Oregon," accessed November 17, 2025
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedFT - ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Defend Oregon, "Latest news: Pledge to vote no on these anti-immigrant, anti-choice, and anti-democracy measures," accessed March 31, 2020
- ↑ ORESTAR, "Defend Oregon," accessed March 31, 2020
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