Part of what made the Oregon House district 24 race this year so close was the absence, until near the end, of campaign fundraising or spending by Republican Representative Donna Nelson, while her Democratic opponent, Sal Peralta, quietly raised his modest but useful campaign bank account.
But was that absence of Nelson fundraising and spending quite what we thought it was?
The McMinnville News Register is reporting today that Nelson's campaign is being reviewed - "a possible criminal investigation," the office said - for failure to report substantial financial activity months in advance of the election - months before it actually was reported. Lobbyist campaign records show thousands of dollars of contributions to Nelson in July, which she had not yet reported for her early October reports. They were shown in the late-October reports. (The inquiry was prompted by Democratic activist Debbie Runciman.)
Nelson suggested that the checks might not have been sent out until long after dated, and that she in any event might not have opened the envelopes until long after receiving them.
Expect much more on this in the weeks ahead.