Drazan, a state senator from Canby, received $700,000 in late August from the political action committee of the Oregon-Columbia chapter of the Associated General Contractors. The group’s CEO, Josh Tompkins, said the approaching legal limits created urgency and aligned with the association’s strong support for Drazan. The donation was the largest the group has made to a political candidate since its records began in 2006.

Kotek, a Democrat seeking re-election, had raised about $1.7 million more than Drazan. The Service Employees International Union 503 political committee has contributed about $1.5 million to Kotek. Union spokesperson Pati Urias said the committee’s funds come from member contributions, including those of home-care workers, hospital employees, janitors and public workers. “When working people pool their resources like this, it’s not influence-buying, it’s solidarity,” she said.

Drazan received $4 million from the Republican Governors Association over the past month, less than the more than $7 million the group gave her 2022 campaign. Republican megadonor Phil Knight, who contributed to Drazan in 2022, has not donated to her this cycle; he gave $1 million to Chris Dudley, Drazan’s opponent in the Republican primary. Drazan’s campaign said it expects to meet its budget and defeat Kotek.

Business interests have also backed Drazan. Donors include timber company Hampton Lumber, which has given more than $170,000, as well as manufacturers, contractors and a Republican-aligned political action committee. Hampton spokesperson Kristin Rasmussen said state decisions affect the company, its employees and the communities where it operates, and said Drazan would support Oregon businesses and manufacturers.

Kotek’s campaign has drawn support from unions and Democratic political groups, though the Oregon Education Association, which gave her $389,000 in 2022, declined to endorse her this year. Kotek’s spokesperson said her fundraising reflects a broad coalition of Oregonians and support for her efforts to make progress in the state.

Oregon lawmakers approved contribution limits in 2024 after the 2022 governor’s race, in which Kotek, Drazan and independent candidate Betsy Johnson collectively drew more than $70 million. The new law will cap individual contributions at $3,300 per candidate per election cycle. Membership organizations, including unions and trade groups, will be allowed to give up to $26,400 per two-year cycle to statewide candidates, with lower limits for legislative races.

The fundraising reflects competing political coalitions, but large donations from both business groups and organized labor will face new constraints in future statewide campaigns. Kotek has said she is not beholden to unions; critics have pointed to her 2024 order requiring union labor on many state construction projects, which a Marion County judge struck down earlier this year. The contractors’ association was behind the legal challenge.