Oregon
The curious case of crypto as a player in Oregon politics – Oregon Capital Chronicle
Winners for election to the U.S. Home in Oregon, who’re largely incumbents, usually increase marketing campaign treasuries for the entire of an election cycle of as much as about $2 million.
Generally they increase extra (as within the 4th Congressional District race in 2020), however that’s uncommon.
What’s occurring this yr within the 6th Congressional District, a brand new district with no incumbent and never even a transparent front-running candidate, is past uncommon.
This new exercise is within the Democratic main lengthy earlier than we’ve gotten to the final election part, although not among the many candidates who’ve been lively and profitable in Oregon politics. They embody state Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Lake Oswego, (who has most of the highest-profile endorsements and has seemed like a entrance runner), Rep. Teresa Alonso León, D-Woodburn, and former Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith. They and others have raised vital however normal-level funds.
The skin-the-norm right here appears to be pushed by, of all issues that may by no means happen to most Oregonians, cryptocurrency.
First, there’s the treasury of candidate Cody Reynolds, who has reported lending himself $2 million for the marketing campaign. As Steven Reynolds, he ran for federal workplaces 4 occasions as much as 2018, together with a 2016 effort as an impartial for the U.S. Senate, receiving solely a smattering of votes.
Whence this new infusion? Presumably, from the world of cryptocurrency; he has had an in depth and typically sophisticated background with quite a lot of crypto corporations during the last decade.
Phantom candidate
Reynolds isn’t main relating to crypto (to this point) on this main.
Carrick Flynn is an Oregon native who spent most of his working life within the Washington space, returning throughout the pandemic to work from Oregon, now at McMinnville, however by no means actively concerned in Oregon politics. Rivals have referred to as him a “phantom candidate,” and observe he has voted simply twice in Oregon since 2000.
He would qualify as a whole unknown with virtually no probability of profitable however for this: A gusher of TV advertisements backing his candidacy amounting to $5 million from a political motion committee referred to as Shield Our Future. The committee is run by 30-year-old billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried of Phoenix, Arizona, whose cash appears to return from cryptocurrency.
The advertisements have overwhelmed TV political promoting within the sixth. He has been described as “the world’s richest crypto billionaire.”
What’s an Arizona billionaire doing on this Oregon race? Wikipedia describes him as a high-end securities dealer who grew to become closely concerned in cryptocurrency about 5 years in the past.
“In January 2018, Bankman-Fried organized an arbitrage commerce, transferring as much as $25M per day, to make the most of the upper value of bitcoin in Japan in comparison with in America. After attending a late 2018 cryptocurrency convention in Macau, and whereas additionally impressed by the concurrent fork (break up) of Bitcoin Money, he moved to Hong Kong. He based FTX, a cryptocurrency derivatives alternate, in April 2019, and it then launched the next month. On December 8, 2021, Bankman-Fried, together with different trade executives, testified earlier than the Committee on Monetary Companies in relation to regulating the cryptocurrency trade,” in keeping with the Wikipedia entry.
That final connects instantly with curiosity in races for the U.S. Home.
$5 million spend
Flynn has mentioned he has no background in, or coverage curiosity in cryptocurrency, that his hyperlink to Shield Our Future involved pandemic coverage. However, particularly at this stage of the pandemic, that appears a skinny purpose for spending $5 million.
That PAC infusion quickly was adopted by one other large help from the Democratic Home Majority PAC, “the one PAC centered completely on electing Democrats to the U.S. Home of Representatives,” of about $1 million. Often it reserves donations for basic election campaigns fairly than a main, particularly the place no incumbents are concerned.
This obtained a whole lot of consideration. U.S. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, complained via Twitter: “I haven’t endorsed on this race, but it surely’s flat out flawed for Home Majority PAC to be weighing in when we have now a number of sturdy candidates vying for the nomination.”
Many of the remainder of the Democratic discipline, together with Salinas, Leon, Smith, doctor Kathleen More durable of Salem, engineer Matt West and even Reynolds signed an uncommon letter of protest.
“Home Majority PAC — Home Democratic management’s tremendous PAC, allegedly tasked with holding Republicans accountable and electing Democrats to Congress — shouldn’t be spending sources to divide Democrats,” they wrote. “With a lot wanted to defend the Home, how can they afford involvement in a main? Why is that this occurring? The place is that this cash coming from? And what does its supply need in alternate?”
These questions, which sound legitimate, are only some that come to thoughts. They is perhaps obviated – for now – by the outcomes of the first. Or not.
Oregon
Sunset Bay State Park evacuated due to flooding; Shore Acres, Cape Arago inaccessible
Safe winter driving tips in Oregon
Here are some tips to keep you safe on the roads.
A popular campground on Oregon’s south coast was evacuated due to flooding Friday morning while two other popular parks were inaccessible after a landslide undercut a highway near Charleston and Coos Bay.
Sunset Bay State Park’s campground was impacted when Big Creek came over its banks between Thursday and Friday night, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department officials said.
“The campground will likely remain closed through the weekend due to high water and tide conditions,” OPRD spokeswoman Stefanie Knowlton said. She added that the Sunset Bay Day-Use Area remains open at this time “but could close if flooding continues.” The restroom is closed, but there are portable toilets available.
Shore Acres and Cap Arago also closed by landslide
Just up the road from Sunset Bay, a “significant landslide has occurred” on Cape Arago Highway.
“The slide has caused substantial undermining of the roadway, leading to its closure,” OPRD said. “As a result, both Shore Acres State Park and Cape Arago State Park are currently inaccessible to vehicular traffic.”
The trio of parks — Sunset Bay, Shore Acres and Cape Arago — are three of the more popular destinations on the south coast. It’s unclear how long the area would be inaccessible.
Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 16 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on X at @ZachsORoutdoors.
Oregon
Kennedie Shuler’s last-second drive the difference in Oregon State’s win over Loyola Marymount
Oregon State finally played a West Coast Conference women’s basketball game that didn’t end in overtime.
But it took some last second heroics to make it happen Thursday night, as Kennedie Shuler’s three-point play with two seconds remaining gave the Beavers a 59-56 win over Loyola Marymount at Gill Coliseum.
It’s the first time in four games the Beavers (7-8, 3-1 WCC) haven’t played overtime in a conference play. With the game tied at 56-56, Shuler took an inbounds pass near the top of the key, drove to the basket and floated a shot off the backboard as she was fouled.
Oregon State won its third consecutive game as Kelsey Rees scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the way. Sela Heide and Catarina Ferreira scored 10 each. Heide scored all her points during the third quarter.
Four players accounted for all of Loyola’s 56 points. Brandi Williams hit four three-pointers and scored 17 points to lead the Lions (6-6, 0-4).
Loyola controlled the first half in taking a 33-26 halftime lead. The Lions spotted Oregon State an early lead, then took over with a 9-2 run midway through the first quarter. LMU led 17-14 after one, the difference a three-pointer by Williams on the final possession.
After Ally Schimel hit a three to tie the game at 17-17, LMU scored 10 consecutive points in less than two minutes. OSU got as close as 29-26 on a three-point play by Rees, but the Lions scored the final four points of the quarter to take a seven-point halftime lead.
Oregon State’s zone defense made a difference in the third quarter, as the Beavers outscored the Lions 20-10 to take a three-point lead. Loyola missed nine consecutive shots and went scoreless for nearly seven minutes as OSU ran off 10 consecutive points to take the lead.
OSU couldn’t shake Loyola during the fourth quarter. Shuler gave the Beavers a five-point lead with eight minutes left, but the Lions scored the next seven points to overtake the Beavers. Ferreira’s pair of free throws with 1:44 left put OSU in front by three points, but the Lions tied it less than a minute later, on a three-pointer by Naudia Evans.
Oregon State earned a chance to win it after forcing Loyola into a tough shot on its final possession. The Beavers called timeout with 4.4 seconds and set up Shuler for the game winner.
Oregon State’s next game is noon Saturday at Washington State.
–Nick Daschel can be reached at 360-607-4824, ndaschel@oregonian.com or @nickdaschel.
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Oregon
Automatic bid teams Oregon, Georgia, Boise State, Arizona State all lose in CFP quarterfinals
ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham says Peach Bowl loss ‘is 100% on me’
Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham assigns the blame to himself after ASU’s loss to Texas in the 2025 Peach Bowl.
Sports Seriously
Automatic bids to the College Football Playoff in 2024 equated to automatic losses.
Following the conclusion of the quarterfinal round of the initial 12-team playoff, all four of the teams that won their conference and earned a first-round bye are now officially out of contention for the national championship. While the automatic bids were out of the CFP committee’s hands, they likely deserve credit for getting it mostly right with the rest of the field.
No. 1 Oregon (Big Ten) was soundly beaten 41-21 by No. 8 Ohio State, while No. 7 Notre Dame beat No. 2 Georgia (SEC) 23-10, No. 6 Penn State beat No. 3 Boise State (Mountain West) 31-14 and No. 5 Texas beat No. 4 Arizona State (Big 12) 39-31 in an overtime thriller.
No. 12 Clemson also earned an automatic bid to the College Football Playoff for winning the ACC, but the Tigers did not get a first-round bye. They lost 38-24 to Texas in the first-round.
The semifinals features two teams that lost in a conference title game: Penn State and Texas. Notre Dame does not play in a conference, and Ohio State did not advance to the Big Ten title game after losing to rival Michigan in the final week of the regular season.
HIGHS AND LOWS: Winners and losers of College Football Playoff quarterfinals
College Football Playoff quarterfinal results
Here are the final scores for the CFP quarterfinal games. In the first 12-team CFP, all four top seeds lost. Only the Texas-Arizona State matchup was a one-score game, going to overtime.
- Peach Bowl: No. 5 Texas 39, No. 4 Arizona State 31 (2 OT)
- Rose Bowl: No. 8 Ohio State 41, No. 1 Oregon 21
- Fiesta Bowl: No. 6 Penn State 31, No. 3 Boise State 14
- Sugar Bowl: No. 7 Notre Dame 23, No. 2 Georgia 10
College Football semifinal matchups
Here’s a look at the CFP semifinals matchups:
- Cotton Bowl: No. 5 Texas vs. No. 8 Ohio State | 7:30 p.m., ET, Jan 10
- Orange Bowl: No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame | 7:30 p.m. ET, Jan. 9
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