NEW: Nike Co-Founder Phil Knight Donates $1M To Flip Oregon Red In 2026

Nike co-founder Phil Knight just dropped a massive check into Oregon’s governor’s race, throwing serious financial muscle behind a Republican hoping to flip the deep-blue state.

Knight gave $1 million to former Portland Trail Blazer Chris Dudley, a Republican from Sisters running for governor. The donation was sent Tuesday and showed up in Oregon campaign finance records Wednesday, making it the largest single contribution to any gubernatorial candidate so far this year.

Dudley is battling through a crowded GOP primary that includes state Sen. Christine Drazan of Canby, state Rep. Ed Diehl of Scio and Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell.

The former NBA center came close to breaking Democrats’ hold on the governor’s mansion once before. In 2010, Dudley lost the general election to Democrat John Kitzhaber by roughly 22,000 votes, one of the tightest statewide races in recent Oregon history. Drazan, for her part, came up short in 2022, losing to Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek by about 67,000 votes.

Dudley, now a wealth manager and nonprofit founder, entered the race in January. At the time, he told The Oregonian/OregonLive he was motivated by frustration with the state’s direction, pointing to weak education outcomes, rising homelessness and worsening economic conditions, particularly around Portland.

Knight’s donation quickly boosted Dudley’s fundraising totals. The Republican has now pulled in about $1.7 million in less than two months, nearly matching Drazan, who has raised close to $1.8 million since January 2025. Kotek has collected roughly $3.1 million during that same stretch.

The Nike billionaire has long been one of the biggest financial backers of Republicans in Oregon politics. From 2022 through 2024, Knight gave $2 million each year to a political group supporting GOP candidates for the state Legislature.

Last October, Knight made his largest political contribution yet when he handed $3 million to that same group, according to campaign finance records.

Knight has also shown a willingness to back candidates outside the Republican Party when he sees an opening. In 2022, he poured about $3.75 million into the campaign of former Democratic state Sen. Betsy Johnson, who ran for governor as a non-affiliated candidate. Later in that race, Knight shifted course and gave $1.5 million to Drazan, who ultimately lost to Kotek.

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