Jo Rae Perkins in 2022 OR Senate race
On Civil Rights:
Black wealth gap due to welfare rules, not redlining
Perkins has made no secret of her views--some of which are in stark contrast to the purpose of the Albany Human Relations Commission. She's gone on the record claiming the practice of denying Black families mortgages in certain areas of town, known as
redlining, is not responsible for the generational wealth gap between Black and white families. Instead, she attributes it to a government effort to remove Black fathers from households as a condition of welfare payments.
Source: Albany Democrat-Herald on 2022 Oregon Senate race
Jan 17, 2021
On Crime:
Answer to police shooting blacks: "stop committing crime"
Perkins said that cases of police brutality have been overstated. "There have been more white people killed by police officers than Black people. And that's a known fact and you can't skew the numbers," she said. She dismissed the fact that, on a per
capita basis, more Black people have been killed by police. "Then OK, well, if there's more Black people that are causing crimes and more Black people are going to face challenges, stop committing crime," she said. "That's the answer."
Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting on 2022 Oregon Senate race
Sep 28, 2020
On Energy & Oil:
Already have tools to cleanly burn fossil fuels
She'd oppose any attempt at a massive government program to combat climate change. She said the climate is always changing, but she said she doesn't think it's caused by carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels. "It doesn't
mean that you burn it so that you're making the air smoggy again," she added. "We've already got the tools to cleanly burn this stuff."
Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting on 2022 Oregon Senate race
Sep 28, 2020
On Environment:
Questions constitutionally of the EPA
Perkins said before a campaign stop, "We have too many federal agencies [performing functions] that are best served at the local level." She specifically targets the Environmental Protection Agency and the huge federal land holdings in the
West. "I question the constitutionality of those," she said. "Where in the Constitution does it say that those different agencies can be supported by the federal government?"
Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting on 2022 Oregon Senate race
Sep 28, 2020
On Environment:
For proper logging of forests, get government out of the way
Perkins said the problems with Oregon forests don't have anything to do with a changing climate. The problem, she said, is mismanagement that's led to massive wildfires causing some of the world's worst air pollution. "We have cowered down
to environmentalists who are freaking out about cutting timber," she said. "I would open up the forest proper logging and proper forestry management," Perkins added, "and get the federal government out of the way."
Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting on 2022 Oregon Senate race
Sep 28, 2020
On Health Care:
No masks; I don't need to be a doctor--I know how to read
I asked, "Do you not believe in wearing masks?""Do you see one?" Perkins replied.
"I do not. But what's your answer?"
"No," Perkins said
"Why not?"
"They do absolutely nothing to protect you," she said confidently.
So I asked, "How do you
know that? Are you a scientist?"
"No, I don't need to be a scientist. I've done tons of reading," Perkins retorted.
"Oh. Are you a doctor?" I asked.
"I don't need to be a doctor either. I know how to read," she said with a chuckle.
Source: CNN coverage of 2022 Oregon Senate race
Aug 22, 2020
On Principles & Values:
Posts pro-QAnon video, then says it's merely an info source
What really garnered the attention on Election Day was a now-deleted video where Perkins made references to QAnon, including saying that she stood with "Q" and holding up a QAnon sticker.The day after Perkins' video was posted,
her campaign released a statement saying that she was not a follower of QAnon. Perkins said that she uses QAnon message boards as merely a "source of information" posting articles from various media outlets, tweets and unclassified government documents.
Source: KVAL "Report for America" on 2022 Oregon Senate race
Oct 12, 2020
On Principles & Values:
Was in DC for Trump rally, did not enter the Capitol
Perkins was among those in Washington D.C. Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. In multiple Facebook posts, Perkins was seen in D.C. marching along with fellow Trump supporters. "I removed myself because if there's going to be mayhem,
I'm not going to be in the middle of it," Perkins said. Perkins then asserted unsubstantiated claims that anti-fascists were at the Capitol, disguised as "patriots, so it made it look like it was us."
Source: KOIN-6 Portland CBS News on 2022 Oregon Senate race
Jan 7, 2021
On Social Security:
Let younger people use individual retirement account
Perkins said she wants to reduce the government role in health care, not increase it.
And she said that the way to keep Social Security solvent is to gradually shift the system so that younger people contribute to an individual retirement account.
Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting on 2022 Oregon Senate race
Sep 28, 2020
On Tax Reform:
Wealthy pay disproportionately high share of taxes
Perkins said the wealthy already pay a disproportionately high share of the taxes and should not have them increased. "We as a society need to encourage people to go after their dreams and stop standing in their way," said
Perkins, explaining that she's not concerned about rising wage inequality. "I'm one of the people who says, `If you don't like what you were dealt, then go do something different.'"
Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting on 2022 Oregon Senate race
Sep 28, 2020
On Principles & Values:
Called to "stop the coup d'état" of the 2020 election
Oregon Republican nominee Jo Rae Perkins has been a vocal proponent of the QAnon conspiracy theory. Perkins has also touted baseless conspiracy theories about the 2020 election--falsely proclaiming in December 2020 that "the Electoral College was
stolen," calling for a recount in November 2020 to "#StopCoupDeTat" (sic), and posting on Facebook in 2021 to push false claims about how the election was supposedly rigged.When CNN asked Perkins for comment for this article, and informed her that we
planned to mention that she has promoted false claims about the election being rigged against Trump, she responded in an email: "I will not answer your questions since you already have a skewed opinion without talking to me directly. How do you know the
claims are false?"
Perkins was on the steps of the Capitol during the insurrection of January 6, 2021. She has said she does not support the people who broke into the building, did not go inside and was there in part as a "citizen journalist."
Source: CNN on 2020 Election Denial in 2022 Oregon Senate race
Sep 15, 2022
Page last updated: Feb 14, 2023