Tobacco company gives to GOP funds
Once again, the tobacco industry is weighing in on the side of Republicans in Oregon legislative races. New disclosure reports show that Philip Morris, one of the industry giants, gave $13,500 each to the House and Senate GOP caucus funds.
While this is not game-changing money, it’s bigger than your typical corporate contributiion to a legislative committee.
The company did give $1,000 to a Democratic legislator, Rep. Terry Beyer of Springfield. But if you scroll down this list of contributions from the 2008 campiagn, you’ll see the company sides almost exclusively with Republicans.
Democrats earned the industry’s enmity by pushing through a tough indoor smoking ban in the 2007 Legislature as well as a big tobacco tax increase that voters later rejected.
By Jeff Mapes, The Oregonian
November 30, 2009
