Ballot measures introduced by out-of-state groups took a heavy beating from Oregon voters while proposals for discount prescription drugs and private property rights won broad approval in the Tuesday election.

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Two of the defeats were considered major -- voters soundly rejected ballot measures to limit spending by state government and reinstate term limits in the Oregon Legislature.

Both were backed with money from Howard Rich, a Manhattan real estate investor who spent more than $1 million in an effort to influence measures in a dozen states.

Oregon political leaders and analysts say the defeats of term limits, Measure 45, and the state spending limit, Measure 48, were largely a reaction to that kind of influence.

"The idea there was a lot of out-of-state money behind several of the measures really did affect a lot of Oregonians," said Jim Moore, who teaches political science at Pacific University.

He pointed out that similar measures were on the ballot in other states.

"They weren't unique to Oregon," Moore said. "None of them truly seemed to arise from Oregonians' frustrations. People talk about whether they're truly grassroots or 'Astroturf' issues. These were 'Astroturf' issues they were trying to transplant into Oregon."

Voters also defeated Measure 41, which would have reduced state income taxes by giving Oregonians the same personal income tax deductions as on their federal returns.

Backers of both Measure 41 and 48 had said they would impose fiscal restraint on government and reduce the tax burden on Oregonians. But a coalition representing unions, education boosters and business groups said the measures would force deep cuts in schools, public safety and health care services.

Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, said voters were concerned about issues such as health care and education, and saw the proposals as a step backward.

"Part of it was, we don't want people coming to our state and telling us what to do," Courtney said. "Most of the voters finally said we can't educate our kids, and we can't get health care for people. We can't make a college education affordable. People finally said enough was enough."

Jef Green, who led the opposition to Measure 40, said the voter rejection of the proposal to divide the state into geographic districts showed that Oregonians also resisted efforts of outsiders to play partisan politics with the legal system.

"I think that Oregonians don't want these out-of-state special interest groups coming in and using Oregon as a testing ground for their partisan ideas," Green said. "I think Oregonians have put their foot down."

But voters easily approved Measure 44, which would significantly expand access to a discounted prescription drug purchasing pool.

They also approved Measure 39, which blocks state and local government from using eminent domain to take private property for economic development projects that end up in the hands of private developers. It follows Measure 37 approved by voters in 2004, which gave property owners the right to demand payment for lost market value or a waiver of land use regulations that have restricted property use.

But another consumer-oriented measure on the Oregon ballot -- this one to restrict insurers from using credit scoring when setting rates -- failed.