EVERY SMALL BUSINESS IS ESSENTIAL

The Defend Small Business PAC was created to help elect men and women who believe that small business is the beating heart of our communities. There is no such thing as a small business – or a job – that is not essential to our communities.  

View the 2024 May Primary Endorsements

Why we need to defend small business in Oregon

It’s a challenging time for businesses in Oregon.  We are told the economy is “doing great,” but our lived experience is different.  It’s hard to find good staff.  The cost of business inputs keeps rising.  Every level of government demands more.  It’s very easy to feel squeezed on all sides.

Elected officials make decisions every year that influence the vitality of our businesses and our communities. From taxes to workplace mandates, small business feels the brunt of more and more legislation. In a survey conducted in 2023 by the Oregon Business & Industry (OBI) and the Oregon State Chamber of Commerce (OSCC), small employers overwhelming reported feeling overtaxed, struggling to keep up with frequently changing regulations, and little faith that legislators care about the success of their business.

And this is on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, where Oregon officials shuttered small businesses, deeming them “non-essential.”

This is why it’s important to elect people who understand that every small business is essential to their community, and every employee is essential.  We want to unapologetically stand with those who will stand with local businesses and support their success.

How we started

The Defend Small Business PAC – the PAC of the Oregon State Chamber of Commerce – was created in 2021 after nearly two years of small business suffering the full force of the economic impacts brought on by the pandemic. Small businesses were forced to close their doors leaving local business owners to watch helplessly as they lost customers to big-box stores and online giants. Small employers and their employees lost their livelihoods, their income, and the ability to pay their bills.

The Defend Small Business PAC was formed to elect people whose actions match their words.   Everyone says they support small business.  But to change the political culture in Oregon, it starts with electing the people who will actually stand up for our small businesses and employees, even when it’s hard.  

How campaign finance reform will impact PACs

During the 2024 session, Oregon legislators passed a campaign finance reform bill that sets new limits on how much businesses, unions and Political Action Committees (PACs) can raise and spend on political candidates. While the new law doesn’t take effect until 2027, it will significantly increase the importance of “Membership Organization” PACs like Defend Small Business PAC and as well as local chamber PACs.  Why?  Because under the new law, “Membership Organization” PACs like Defend Small Business PAC are the only PACs that can continue to receive unlimited contributions.
 

It is time to defend our local businesses, our jobs and our communities. 

The Defend Small Business PAC helps protect, preserve and foster a political environment that will strengthen local businesses, their employees, their communities, and the private enterprise system.