Dear Dr. Dexter:

As Oregon voters, we are dismayed and distressed by the news revealing $2.7 million of outside spending on behalf of your campaign for US Congress in Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District. We agree with Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley as he says, “I strongly condemn the dark money campaign underway… in OR CD3 and any other dark money campaigns that are underway or planned. They are despicable and damaging to our democracy.”

You have spoken about your commitment to keeping big money out of politics, to fairness in campaign funding so that such money does not influence policymakers, to full transparency by candidates, and to your commitment to reject negative advertising. We are perplexed by your nonchalant attitude when the dark money is aiding your campaign. Oregon voters have worked for years to keep dark money and cynical politics out of Oregon’s fair and democratic elections. This simply does not match the values of the voters in your district nor in any part of Oregon.

We recently learned of your connection to the Pro Israel America PAC -- an effort launched by senior figures affiliated with AIPAC in 2019 -- and find it particularly concerning considering the brutal Israeli assault on Gaza that was already in clear violation of international law before you launched your candidacy. Your consistent usage of AIPAC approved talking points in answers to questions about your stance demonstrates, at best, a serious lack of judgment, and at worst, an indifference to the value of Palestinian lives.

AIPAC is not aligned with Socialist values, nor is it in sync with values of fair and transparent democracy. AIPAC is a right-wing hawkish group that has, for years, stood against policies meant to ease tensions in the world (for example, opposing the Obama nuclear deal with Iran). AIPAC is consistently aligned with policies that violate the human rights of Palestinians. The group has stood in support of far-right politicians, including insurrectionists, and is spending large sums of money to defeat progressive candidates.

We ask you to commit to your ethical, professional and moral values. Money coming from any source in the “Pro-Israel” lobby is supporting gross human rights violations and plausible genocide that is being carried out in Gaza by the Israeli military. This is what you are implicitly supporting by accepting the intervention of this money from outside sources on your behalf–whether for negative ads or payment for your own campaign advertising.

We ask that you:
Publicly call on PACs like 314 Fund and “Voters for Responsive Government” -- who are spending in support of your campaign and against your opponents -- to reveal their donors;
Publicly call on these same PACs to cancel their current commercials, stop running political advertisements and stop sending mailers in Oregon. You must demand that these ads cease immediately;
State clearly whether or not you are accepting ANY support from AIPAC or AIPAC-aligned PACs or donors;
Commit to declining any more of this type of support for the rest of the campaign;
Commit to becoming a candidate who does not go along with “how things are done in politics”, but who truly embodies a politician as a leader upholding values that are principled and ethical; and
Take a more direct and stronger position against plausibly genocidal Israeli aggression in Gaza.

As smart and ethical policy, we would also encourage you to come out publicly to solidify your stance for an immediate and permanent ceasefire to end the killing in Gaza, to demand that Israel allow all necessary humanitarian aid to enter, and to call on the United States to leverage its position for peace by withholding the transfer of all weapons to Israel as long as they are being used in violation of US and international humanitarian law. These positions are in line with the views of the majority of voters.

Truly, we are very disappointed not only by the lack of principled campaign practices thus far, but by your lack of commitment to living by the positions around campaign finance that you tout on your campaign website. We want a US Congressional Representative who is not bought by big money. We seek honesty and integrity from anyone who aspires to represent us.

Sincerely,

The undersigned Oregon voters