Willamette Week:Phil Knight has broken his own record for political spending. The 87-year-old Nike co-founder wrote a $3 million check to the Bring Balance to Salem PAC on Oct. 22, according to a new filing with the Oregon secretary of state.
Bring Balance was formed in 2021. The PAC spent nearly $5 million in 2022 and just over $5 million in 2024, all in support of Republican legislative candidates.
Oregon Live: It is the single largest donation Knight has made to an Oregon candidate or political action committee, according to campaign finance records.
KGW8:Knight’s wealth was estimated to be $35.7 billion by Forbes magazine’s list of richest Americans this year, where he was ranked 26th among 400 billionaires.
And while he has made some of the largest gifts in Oregon politics, they are dwarfed by his charitable donations. Knight and his wife, Penny, gave a record-breaking $2 billion to their namesake OHSU Knight Cancer Institute in August.
The Knights’ giving in 2024 put them 10th on the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s list of 50 most generous donors in the country this year.
KOIN:During Oregon’s gubernatorial race in 2022, Knight donated $3.75 million to unaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson, followed by a $1 million donation to Republican candidate Christine Drazan.
