[Portland, OR] – This week on the campaign trail, Betsy Johnson showed her true conservative colors to voters, and Christine Drazan did what she does best: staying silent on the issues that matter to Oregonians.
Betsy Johnson Touts Support of Extremist Republican Bridget Barton
On Tuesday, Betsy Johnson announced that Bridget Barton, the anti-choice, Big Lie enabler, is now heading up the “Republicans for Betsy” campaign. It turns out the two have a lot in common. Barton’s failed gubernatorial bid drew the possibility of a federal investigation for potentially illegal coordination with a dark money group, and Johnson’s corrupt dealings as a state senator led the FBI to launch an investigation.
The endorsement from Barton, who attacked Drazan in the Republican primary for not being anti-choice enough, comes as women in Oregon and around the nation wait with baited breath for the United States Supreme Court to announce their ruling on the future of abortion access, a decision that is all but guaranteed to roll back abortion rights for millions of women in the United States.
As a candidate, Barton routinely dodged questions about the results of the 2020 election, only perpetuating Trump’s “Big Lie.” And Johnson chose to elevate her at the same time as our nation grapples with the startling revelations of the House Select Committee tasked with investigating the events of January 6th.
Betsy Johnson Can’t Hide From Her 100% NRA Rating
On Wednesday, Political Action Committee Oregonians for Ethics released a searing video detailing Betsy Johnson’s long record of opposing gun violence prevention legislation.
The video has since been viewed by over 6,000 people on Twitter alone and continues to gain traction amongst the majority of Oregonians who support common-sense policies to combat gun violence.
Crickets from Johnson and Drazan After Kotek Calls for Forum on Gun Violence
On Thursday, the Tina Kotek for Governor campaign announced that Tina has agreed to eight debates and candidate forums across the state. The Kotek campaign also challenged Republican candidate Christine Drazan and conservative candidate Betsy Johnson to agree to an issue-specific forum on gun safety policy, especially given Johnson’s recent flip-flopping on the issue.
Tina’s proposal comes after 19 children were murdered in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, prompting national outrage and renewed calls for legislative action. Last week, Tina joined Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action at an event in Beaverton to call for more common-sense gun violence prevention in the state. In contrast, Willamette Week recently called out “the first major stumble” of Betsy Johnson’s campaign after she half-heartedly tried to run away from her 20+ year legislative record of opposing gun violence prevention legislation. Meanwhile, since the shooting in Uvalde, Republican Christine Drazan has dodged multiple press inquiries around gun violence prevention. Her silence is deafening.
Since Tina called on her opponents to agree to a forum on this critical issue, neither Johnson nor Drazan have responded.