Anheuser-Busch gave $49,250 to the Jobs Political Action Committee in Oregon on Wednesday.

It was the largest in the latest round of 27,767 campaign contributions filed with the Oregon Secretary of State since the beginning of the year.

On the small end were three 1-cent donations to Move Oregon’s Border, the La Pine-based PAC backing efforts to break off much of Eastern and Central Oregon to join “Greater Idaho.”

On the other end of the scale is the $2 million given by Nike co-founder Phil Knight to the Bring Balance to Salem PAC, which aims to diminish Democratic influence in state politics, primarily by backing Republican candidates and efforts.

Going back a moment to Tuesday’s biggest contribution, the five-figure give was to a PAC run by J.L. Wilson, a veteran Salem lobbyist and polling firm owner.

The PAC states under “Nature of Committee” its intent to “Support pro-business initiatives and candidates.” That’s meant primarily Republican-leaning causes, such as The Leadership Fund, the PAC for Senate Republicans. 

While winning the top size prize of the day, the amount is dwarfed by many others on other days over the past seven months.

While cumulative contributions are the way to measure ultimate desire for political persuasion, the ability to write a single big check — or bundle a lot of little checks into one big contribution — makes a big splash.

Here’s the Top 10 single political contributions of 2023 as of the afternoon of July 12:

• First is Knight’s $2 million from early April. Along with some six-figure checks, Bring Balance to Salem PAC reports having $2.3 million on hand, while spending only $52,000 so far this year, including monthly $5,000 retainer fees to the political management group run by former U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River.

• A fierce local battle brought it the second and third largest contributions so far this year: $650,000 and $350,235 in separate February contributions from Northwest Natural Gas to the Eugene Citizens for Energy Choice PAC.

It was part of over $1.04 million the company contributed to force a public referendum on a February ordinance passed in Eugene prohibiting natural gas hookups in new low-rise residential buildings.

The ordinance was to go into effect June 30, but the natural gas-industry backed PAC was able to force the matter to a vote, likely to be held this fall. 

On Monday, the Eugene City Council pulled the referral off the ballot. It cited a recent court ruling that a similar ban in Berkeley, California was unlawful. Eugene officials worried that the issue could result in a costly court challenge. 

Eugene would have been the first Oregon city to bar new natural gas hook-ups, which critics say increase carbon emissions that lead to global warming. Supporters of the ban say they will try again and are looking at other possible locales to carry on the fight.

• The fourth largest single contribution this year — and the largest from out of state — was $250,000 for the National Association of Realtors PAC, based in Washington, D.C., to Building Our Future Together PAC, which opposed Measure 26 last month in Multnomah County.

Known as the Eviction Representation for All Measure, it would have helped pay for lawyers to fight evictions following the end of emergency pandemic restrictions this spring. The measure was defeated by a 4-to-1 margin. 

The stated “Nature of Committee” is “Support Candidates & Measures Advocating Family-Living Wages, Benefits & Working Conditions.” That primarily means Democrats. The PAC on Monday gave $10,000 each to the campaign PACS of Oregon Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, and Oregon Majority Leader Kate Lieber, D-Beaverton. 

As of Tuesday, the Local 48 PAC had raised $585,973.45 this year, while spending $341,659. It has a cash balance of $535,531.

• Coming in sixth and seventh were similar style contributions, but on the other side of the political spectrum.

The Oregon Realtors PAC, based in Salem, reported miscellaneous contributions under $100 of $162,982 in January and $162,337 in February. 

It reports $761,408 raised so far this year, while spending $213,427. It has $783,504 cash on hand as of Tuesday.

• The eighth and ninth largest donations were from Dennis Beethan, owner of the DB Western Inc. chemical company in North Bend. He wrote two separate $150,000 checks on January 18 to two PACs with similar names and rosters of leadership.

One check went to Education Freedom for Oregon – Open Enrollment, which backs Initiative Proposal 5. Proponents want to place a constitutional amendment before voters that would allow parents to select any public school statewide and limit “admission priorities.”

Another check went to Education Freedom for Oregon – School Choice, which is backing Initiative Proposal 6, a drive to put a measure on the 2024 ballot that would allow state funds to go for paying for non-public school options for parents who “decline K-12 public school.” Tuition and expenses could go to private, religious and home-school programs. 

Supporters of the two initiatives initially backed one initiative to appear on the 2024 ballot. But then-Secretary of State Shemia Fagan rejected the language of the proposal in February 2022 as violating the requirement that ballot measures deal with a “single subject.”

Each contribution accounted for most of the money raised so far. The open enrollment PAC has raised $180,870, spent $94,251 and has $93,244 on hand. The school choice PAC has raised $203,923, while spending $81,174 and has $129,728 on hand.

Education Freedom for Oregon is a non-profit based in Tualatin led by Marc Thielman, a former Alsea School District Superintendent and unsuccessful candidate in the 2022 Republican primary for governor.

• Rounding out the Top 10 is Plumbers & Steamfitters PAC, based in Tualatin. It receiving $130,000 from the Plumbing & Pipefitting Industry Federal PAC 290. The contribution accounted for most of the $146,650 it raised in 2023. The PAC reported spending $27,980 this year. It has $129,571 on hand.