Senate District 3 candidate Jim Wright is considering sending back some of the cash contributions he’s received from a Salem Republican group that distributed a mailer this week attacking his opponent, Democrat Alan Bates.

In addition, said Burke Raymond, Wright’s campaign manager, "I can tell you unequivocally that we will not be accepting any additional money from the Leadership Fund."

Raymond said Wright is looking at sending back any money that has been received since the mailers were sent out on Wednesday.

After hearing about Wright’s decision, Bates said, "I appreciate his gesture and I want to move forward."

Bates said that because the election is basically over (since most of the ballots already have been mailed), it’s time to heal the rift between himself, Wright and the community.

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"If I’m representing Southern Oregon, we need a unified voice going up there," he said.

But Bates said he has started looking into the parties behind the Leadership Fund who promoted the mailers, which dredged up a messy child custody battle with his ex-wife.

"We’re trying to find out if anybody will admit to having done that," he said. "This is beyond the pale."

The mailers describe Bates being held in contempt of court in 1981 over a child custody case and having a warrant issued for his arrest in Colorado. The mailers don’t describe how Bates eventually received custody of his two daughters and ended up raising his stepdaughter.

Raymond, who has sharply denounced the mailers, said he didn’t know how much the Leadership Fund had sent to the Wright campaign since the mailers were sent out. "The accountants are wrestling with that number now," he said.

The Wright campaign had received $37,234.23 in contributions from the Leadership Fund as of Oct. 17.

In the most recent contributions and expense reports, filed Monday with the Secretary of State’s office, the Wright campaign shows another $29,896 in in-kind contributions from the Leadership Fund, raising total contributions to $67,130.

Raymond said the campaign is still looking into how much of the latest contributions include the mailers. "It’s probably mostly that," he said.

Raymond said that at this stage in the campaign, it wouldn’t be possible to return all of the Leadership Fund’s contributions. "We won’t have any money left," he said.

The Wright campaign also has not contacted the Leadership Fund since the mailer appeared.

"We’re not much interested in talking to the Leadership Fund," he said.

Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail dmann@mailtribune.com