Former Hillsboro Mayor Steve Callaway holds a roughly 5-to-1 cash fundraising lead over Hillsboro City Councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair in the race for Washington County Commission District 4.

Callaway has raised $132,837 in cash contributions plus $2,065 in in-kind donations as of Oct. 28, according to Oregon Secretary of State campaign finance records reported by the Beaverton Valley Times. He has spent $117,061. Sinclair has collected $25,512 in cash and $7,430 in in-kind contributions, spending $23,144.

The gap matters because ballots are already in voters' hands for the Nov. 3 runoff. Neither candidate cleared 50% in the May primary, where Callaway led a six-candidate field with 32.9% and Sinclair finished second at 21.4%.

Who is funding Callaway

Business groups, unions and real estate interests dominate Callaway's donor list, the Beaverton Valley Times reported.

His largest contributor is the Washington County Chamber of Commerce PAC, which gave $15,000 in two installments: $5,000 in July and $10,000 in September. Plumbers & Steamfitters PAC 221 gave $10,580 in two equal payments of $5,290. The Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors Political Action Committee gave $10,000.

The Portland Alliance PAC, affiliated with the Portland Metro Chamber, and Hillsboro's Ebenezer Used Cars each gave $5,000 before the May 19 primary. Jeff Swickard, manager of Swickard Management Company out of Las Vegas, also gave $5,000.

At the $2,500 level, donors include Metro West Ambulance CEO JD Fuiten, the Hillsboro Police Officer's Association, Nike Inc. and affiliates, Columbia Sportswear CEO Timothy Boyle and several construction and trade groups.

Who is funding Sinclair

Sinclair's donor base skews toward progressive organizations and smaller individual gifts, the Beaverton Valley Times reported. No single cash donor gave more than $2,000.

Her largest overall contribution came in-kind: Friends of Smart Growth, a political action committee focused on livability, affordability and conservation in North Plains and Washington County, provided $4,277 for campaign literature and printing. Stoneboat Farm, owned by Friends of North Plains Smart Growth co-founder Aaron Nichols, gave an additional $2,010 in-kind for the same purpose.

Her top cash donation was $1,603 from Karel J. Pohl of Kingston, Washington. The Washington County Democratic Central Committee gave $1,500. Other donors include Portland resident Jody Wiser at $1,167 and Derrick Ragan, manager of Remitly, at $1,029.

Sinclair also has backing from the Oregon Working Families Party, the Service Employees International Union of Oregon and the Washington County Democrats, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Oct. 1.

What's at stake

District 4 covers western Washington County, including most of Hillsboro, North Plains, Cornelius, Forest Grove, Banks and Gaston. The seat is being vacated by Commissioner Jerry Willey, who announced plans to retire in 2025. Though the candidate must live in the district, all Washington County voters cast a ballot in this race.

Data centers have emerged as a dividing line. Sinclair has called for an independent audit of the Hillsboro Enterprise Zone Program, which offers years of tax breaks to certain industrial projects, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Callaway said data centers are not a "for or against" issue and should be evaluated based on location and conditions.

Ballots are due by Nov. 3.