What We Do
Our job is to keep markets fair — and keep corporations accountable.
When a handful of companies control what you buy, who you work for, or what news you see, it stops being just a business story. It becomes a fairness problem. A family problem. Oregon’s problem.
Our office is the only agency with broad legal authority to push back on corporate monopolies and mergers that hurt Oregon families. As federal agencies pull back from consumer protection, private equity sweeps up small businesses, and big becomes bigger, we’re stepping up.
- Higher prices: Less competition almost always means higher costs — for groceries, healthcare, concert tickets, and more.
- Lower wages: Fewer employers mean less bargaining power for workers — including unionized workers who depend on competition between employers to protect their wages.
- Fewer choices: When competitors disappear, consumers are left with one option and no leverage.
- Weaker democracy: Concentrated corporate power doesn’t just shape markets — it shapes policy, elections, and the news you see.
| “When the people who are supposed to hold corporations accountable step aside, the states step up. That’s exactly what we’re doing.” — Attorney General Dan Rayfield |
Why Oregon Acts
When federal agencies step back, states have to step up. This means investigating and challenging illegal monopolies, fighting mergers that would harm consumers, and holding corporations accountable when they use their size to crush competition.
We have legal standing — and an obligation to use it.
State attorneys general have independent authority to challenge mergers and monopolies that harm consumers. That authority doesn’t disappear when federal agencies change course.
These cases largely pay for themselves.
Attorney fees can be recovered in antitrust cases. The cost of fighting corporate monopolies is far lower than the cost of letting them go unchecked.
This is still a bipartisan fight.
Antitrust enforcement is one of the few areas where states across the political spectrum have found common ground — because high prices and rigged markets don’t care about party registration.
Cases We’re Fighting
Real cases. Real stakes for Oregon families.
These aren’t just legal battles. They’re the price of your groceries, the cost of a concert or your cable bill, and who controls the news you consume.
Groceries
Kroger / Albertsons Merger: Victory
We blocked the largest proposed grocery merger in American history.
Oregon co-led this case alongside seven other states and the FTC. Fred Meyer. Safeway. These are the stores where Oregon families buy groceries every week. Allowing the merger would have wiped out competition in more than 1,400 communities — and left workers with less leverage at the bargaining table.
After three weeks of trial in Portland with 30+ witnesses, the court sided with us.
Live Music & Ticketing
Live Nation / Ticketmaster: Victory
One company controls your tickets, the venues, and the artists. That’s not competition — it’s a monopoly.
The 2022 Taylor Swift ticket debacle wasn’t a tech glitch. It was what happens when a single company has no real competition and no accountability. Live Nation owns Ticketmaster, controls major venues, and dominates artist promotion.
When the Trump DOJ settled and walked away mid-trial in March 2026, Oregon and 34 other states kept going. In mid-April, a jury sided with the states, finding that Live Nation and Ticketmaster illegally eliminated competition, which hurt fans, artists, and competing venues.
Technology & Networking
HPE / Juniper Networks: Ongoing
A $14 billion tech deal that may have been decided in a back room — not a courtroom.
Oregon joined a multistate coalition challenging a federal settlement that allowed this merger to proceed despite serious competition concerns. The federal DOJ originally moved to block this deal — then reversed course days before trial. A former DOJ attorney publicly called the settlement corrupt.
We invoked the Tunney Act — a post-Watergate safeguard — to demand a public hearing. A federal judge held hearings in late March 2026.
Local News & Your Cable Bill
Nexstar / TEGNA Broadcasting: Ongoing
One company could control most of what Oregonians see on local TV — and charge more for the privilege.
Nexstar is already the largest local TV broadcaster in the country. This merger would push that to 80% of the country – including dominating what Oregonians see on local news.
- Why your cable bill goes up: Cable and streaming providers pay broadcasters a fee to carry their local stations. In Portland, Nexstar and TEGNA stations currently compete against each other in those negotiations. When they merge, that competition disappears. Nexstar gains enormous leverage to demand higher fees, and your cable or streaming provider passes that cost directly to you. Under many existing contracts, the rate hike is automatic the moment the deal closes.
- Why the news changes: Right now, the Portland metro area has multiple stations with separate editorial teams making independent decisions about what to cover. After this decision, one company, with one set of corporate priorities, controls three stations that produce newscasts in Oregon – KGW, KOIN and KRCW. This means these newsrooms now have one editorial voice, with fewer reporters, and less competition for stories.
How You Can Help
Have a complaint about anti-competitive practices?
Oregon families and businesses can report price fixing, anti-competitive behavior, or corporate misconduct to our office.