Elizabeth Katharine Johnson (born January 12, 1951) is an American aviator, entrepreneur, and politician who served in the
Oregon House of Representatives from the
1st and
31st House districts from 2001 to 2005, and in the
Oregon Senate
The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the state Sena ...
from the
16th district from 2005 to 2021, as a member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
. Prior to her tenure in the state legislature she served on the
Port of St. Helens board and worked in the
Oregon Department of Transportation
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is a department of the state government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for systems of transportation. It was first established in 1969. It had been preceded by the Oregon State Highway Depar ...
.
Johnson was born in
Bend, Oregon, as the daughter of
Sam Johnson
Samuel Robert Johnson (October 11, 1930May 27, 2020) was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for in Congress from 1991 to 2019. He was a member of the Republican Party. In October and November 2015, he was the acting ...
, who served in the state house. She was raised in
Redmond, Oregon
Redmond is a city in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. Incorporated on July 6, 1910, the city is on the eastern side of Oregon's Cascade Range, in the High Desert in Central Oregon. From Redmond there is access to recreational opportuni ...
, and educated at
Oregon Episcopal School
Oregon Episcopal School (OES) is an American private, coeducational, college preparatory, day and boarding school in the Raleigh Hills area of Portland, Oregon. It was preceded by St. Helen's Hall, a day and boarding school for girls establish ...
,
Carleton College, and
Lewis and Clark College
Lewis & Clark College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. Originally chartered in 1867 as the Albany Collegiate Institute in Albany, Oregon, the college was relocated to Portland in 1938 and in 1942 adopted the name Lewis & C ...
. She operated a helicopter business and participated in international helicopter competitions. She was active in local politics in
Columbia County, Oregon
Columbia County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 52,589. The county seat is St. Helens.
History
The Chinook and Clatskanie Native American peoples inhabited this region for c ...
, where she served on the boards of multiple groups and she was elected to the
Port of St. Helens board in a 1993 special election. She was the manager of aeronautics in the Oregon Department of Transportation from 1993 to 1998.
She was elected to the state house in the 2000 election and reelected in the 2002 and 2004 elections. Johnson was appointed to replace
Joan Dukes in the state senate in 2005, and was reelected in the 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 elections. She was a moderate and conservative member of the Democratic caucus and held a controlling swing vote. She resigned from the state senate in 2021, to run in the
2022 gubernatorial election as an
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
candidate, eventually losing to
Tina Kotek
Tina Kotek (born September 30, 1966) is an American politician and the governor-elect of Oregon. Kotek served as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives from 2013 to 2022. She was the first openly lesbian person to serve as a speaker of ...
.
Early life and education
Elizabeth Katharine Johnson was born on January 12, 1951, in
Bend, Oregon, to Elizabeth Hill Johnson and
Sam Johnson
Samuel Robert Johnson (October 11, 1930May 27, 2020) was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for in Congress from 1991 to 2019. He was a member of the Republican Party. In October and November 2015, he was the acting ...
, who served in the
Oregon House of Representatives for fourteen years. She was raised in
Redmond, Oregon
Redmond is a city in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. Incorporated on July 6, 1910, the city is on the eastern side of Oregon's Cascade Range, in the High Desert in Central Oregon. From Redmond there is access to recreational opportuni ...
, and graduated from
Oregon Episcopal School
Oregon Episcopal School (OES) is an American private, coeducational, college preparatory, day and boarding school in the Raleigh Hills area of Portland, Oregon. It was preceded by St. Helen's Hall, a day and boarding school for girls establish ...
in 1969.
She campaigned for her father during her youth. She graduated from
Carleton College with a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in history in 1974, and from
Lewis and Clark College
Lewis & Clark College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. Originally chartered in 1867 as the Albany Collegiate Institute in Albany, Oregon, the college was relocated to Portland in 1938 and in 1942 adopted the name Lewis & C ...
with a
Juris Doctor in 1977.
Johnson married John Helm. She represented the United States at a helicopter competition in
Vitebsk
Vitebsk or Viciebsk (russian: Витебск, ; be, Ві́цебск, ; , ''Vitebsk'', lt, Vitebskas, pl, Witebsk), is a city in Belarus. The capital of the Vitebsk Region, it has 366,299 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-largest c ...
,
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
, in 1978. Johnson created Trans-Western Helicopters in 1978, and it merged into Hillsboro Helicopters in 1993. She served as president of the Columbia County Economic Development Council, and was on the boards of the Columbia County Health District,
St. Helens Chamber of Commerce, and
United Way
United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016.
United Way organizations raise funds ...
of Columbia County.
She was appointed to the board of the Oregon Tourism Alliance in 1989. She replaced
Betty Roberts as the chair of the
Tom McCall
Thomas Lawson McCall (March 22, 1913 January 8, 1983) was an American statesman, politician and journalist in the state of Oregon. A Republican, he was the state's thirtieth governor from 1967 to 1975. A native of Massachusetts, McCall grew up t ...
lectureship committee at
Oregon State University
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering c ...
in 1992. She was the director of the
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Portland Branch for six years.
Career
Local politics
Tony Federici, a member of the
Port of St. Helens board from the fourth position resigned in January 1993, in order to take office in the state house from the
1st district. Johnson defeated four other candidates in the 1993 special election and won without opposition in the 1997 election.
She replaced Eric Dahlgren as chair of the board in 1999. She was appointed as the Manager of Aeronautics in the
Oregon Department of Transportation
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is a department of the state government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for systems of transportation. It was first established in 1969. It had been preceded by the Oregon State Highway Depar ...
in 1993, and served until her resignation on September 7, 1998.
Oregon House of Representatives
Jackie Taylor, a member of the state house from the 1st district, was term-limited during the 2000 election.
Johnson faced no opposition in the
Democratic primary and won the
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
primary as a
write-in candidate
A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...
and defeated
Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these princ ...
nominee Bob Ekstrom, the chair of the party, and
Libertarian nominee Don McDaniel.
She won the Democratic and Republican nominations and was elected from the
31st district in the 2002 election against Constitution nominee Ekstrom and
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
candidate Mervin Arnold.
She won the Democratic and Republican nominations and defeated Constitution nominee Ron Ross in the 2004 election.
In the state house Johnson used the same desk that her father had used during his tenure. During her tenure in the state house she served on the Ways and Means committee. Johnson was appointed to a shared seat on the
Oregon Emergency Board
Oregon's Emergency Board (also known as the State Emergency Board and Legislative Emergency Board) is a statutory legislative committee composed of members of both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. It has broad powers to allocate gene ...
with Representative
Dan Doyle in 2001. Following the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...
the House Special Task Force on State Emergency Preparedness was formed with Johnson being one of its members. She worked as
Ron Wyden's campaign chair during the
2004 United States Senate election
The 2004 United States Senate elections were held on November 2, 2004, with all Classes of United States senators, Class 3 Senate seats being contested. They coincided with the 2004 United States presidential election, re-election of George W. Bu ...
.
Oregon Senate
Joan Dukes, a member of the
Oregon Senate
The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the state Sena ...
, was appointed to the
Northwest Power and Conservation Council
The Northwest Power and Conservation Council is a regional organization that develops and maintains a regional power plan and a fish and wildlife program to balance the Northwest's environment and energy needs. Based in Portland, Oregon, the Counci ...
by Governor
Ted Kulongoski
Theodore Ralph Kulongoski ( ; born November 5, 1940) is an American politician, judge, and lawyer who served as the 36th Governor of Oregon from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative As ...
in 2004. Johnson announced on November 24, 2004, that she was interested in replacing Dukes in the state senate. Johnson, Bill Blank, and Emil Nyberg were nominated by the Columbia County Democratic Committee as possible options to replace Dukes. County commissioners from Columbia, Clatsop, Multnomah, Tillamook, and Washington counties voted unanimously on January 19, 2005, to appoint Johnson and she was sworn in on January 20.
Brad Witt was selected to replace her in the state house.
She defeated Republican nominee Don Fell and Constitution nominee Robert J. Simmering in the 2006 election.
She defeated Republican nominee Bob Horning in the 2010 election.
Howard Dean
Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American physician, author, lobbyist, and retired politician who served as the 79th governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003 and chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2005 to 2009 ...
, the former chair of the
Democratic National Committee, called for Johnson to be replaced after she voted with the Republicans against voter registration legislation in 2013. She defeated independent candidate Andrew Kaza, Constitution nominee Ekstrom, and Libertarian nominee Perry Roll in the 2014 election.
She won the Democratic, Republican, and
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
nominations, with write-in votes in the Republican and Independent primaries, and defeated Constitution nominee Ray Biggs in the 2018 election.
During her tenure in the state senate she served on the Rules committee and co-chaired the Ways and Means committee.
An ethics investigation was launched against her on June 22, 2007, as she did not report profits of $119,000 from selling property connected to legislation she sponsored and she later paid a $600 fine. She was later investigated by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
. Due to the Democrats' narrow control of the state senate she had a controlling swing vote and blocked legislation.
She endorsed
Dennis Richardson, the Republican nominee for
Oregon Secretary of State, in the 2016 election. She and Witt were removed from the executive committee of the
Democratic Party of Oregon
The Democratic Party of Oregon is the Oregon affiliate of the Democratic Party. The State Central Committee, made up of two delegates elected from each of Oregon's 36 counties and one additional delegate for every 15,000 registered Democrats, is ...
due to their support of Richardson.
Lee Beyer
Leslee Beyer (born June 4, 1948) is an American Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Oregon. He served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly for a decade, representing Springfield, until being appointed to the Oregon Pub ...
, Johnson, and
Arnie Roblan
Arnold L. "Arnie" Roblan (born April 8, 1948) is an American former educator and a Democratic politician who served as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives from the 9th district, which spans the southern Oregon Coast. He also served ...
called for United States Senators Wyden and
Jeff Merkley to support President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
's appointment of
Ryan Bounds
Ryan Wesley Bounds (born 1973) is an American attorney serving as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Oregon.
Bounds had been a nominee for a position as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals ...
to the
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts:
* District ...
.
Johnson hit a driver with her car in 2013, resulting in Betsy Johnson spending six months in a wheelchair and not fully recovering until 2019. She was sued by the driver in 2015, but Johnson's lawyers argued the lawsuit was frivolous, and a violation of the Oregon Constitution due to her being in transit to her complete her duties as an elected official. The lawsuit was subsequently dismissed.
Gubernatorial campaign
Johnson was considered as a possible gubernatorial or
secretary of state candidate in the 2000s. She announced on October 14, 2021, in an email that she was going to run as an independent in the
2022 gubernatorial election stating "
ving to choose between another left-wing liberal promising more of the same or a right-wing Trump apologist – is no choice at all". The Democratic caucus subsequently removed her from all of her committee assignments. She announced on December 14, that she was going to resign from the state senate to focus on her gubernatorial campaign and it took effect on December 16. Emmet Duffy is her campaign manager.
TEDxPortland was criticized for, and subsequently apologized for, inviting Betsy Johnson to a May 2022 conference in violation of the
Internal Revenue Service's regulations for 501(c)3 nonprofits, which require that if any political candidates are invited to speak at an event, all other candidates are given an equal opportunity. She received endorsements that included former Governor Kulongoski and former United States Senator
Gordon H. Smith
Gordon Harold Smith (born May 25, 1952) is an American politician, businessman, and academic administrator who served as a United States Senator from the state of Oregon. A Republican, he served two terms in the Senate from 1997 to 2009. On Septe ...
. As of early June, her campaign has raised $5,611,714.37, with $1 million coming from
Phil Knight
Philip Hampson Knight (born February 24, 1938) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder and chairman ''emeritus'' of Nike, Inc., and was previously chairman and CEO of the company. As of October 3, 2022, Knight was ranke ...
, and spent $3,292,831.82. Knight increased his stake in the race in late August, contributing another $750,000 to Johnson's campaign.
In July,
OPB
Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) is the primary television and radio public broadcasting network for most of the U.S. state of Oregon as well as southern Washington. OPB consists of five full-power television stations, dozens of VHF or UHF trans ...
reported that "shirts bearing the
Confederate flag
The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and ...
...dott
dthe crowd" at a June rally in
St. Helens, a flag which Johnson later condemned as "a symbol of treason against the United States". She stated to OPB in September that as governor she would lift the
moratorium on capital punishment and enforce the death penalty.
Johnson's campaign spent $897,000 to collect 48,214 signatures, with 23,744 being required to appear on the ballot, and 37,679 were validated by the secretary of state.
In the general election, Johnson conceded to Tina Kotek after garnering less than 10% of the total vote.
Political positions
Johnson was considered as a moderate and conservative member of the state legislature. She received a lifetime rating of 34.34% from the
American Conservative Union
The American Conservative Union (ACU) is an American political organization that advocates for conservative policies, ranks politicians based on their level of conservatism, and organizes the Conservative Political Action Conference. Founded on ...
. The
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...
gave her a score of 43% in 2005, 50% in 2007, 0% in 2008, 60% in 2009, 20% in 2013, 83% in 2015, and 50% in 2017.
Jobs and economics
Johnson supported the construction of a $230 million ethanol plant in
Clatskanie, Oregon. She voted in committee in favor of legislation to
ban smoking in restaurants, but stated that she did so only to send it to a vote in the state house. In 2002, Johnson voted in favor of the unsuccessful effort to overturn legislation to borrow $50 million for education against revenue made from a cigarette tax.
Johnson voted against
parental leave
Parental leave, or family leave, is an employee benefit available in almost all countries. The term "parental leave" may include maternity, Paternity (law), paternity, and adoption leave; or may be used distinctively from "maternity leave" and ...
legislation in 2007. In 2009, she voted against legislation supported by the
AFL–CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 12 million ac ...
that prohibited workers from being required to attend company meetings about politics. She voted against increasing the
minimum wage gradually from 2016 to 2022, to between $12.50 and $14.75 per hour. Johnson received a D rating from the
Service Employees International Union
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a labor union representing almost 1.9 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States and Canada. SEIU is focused on organizing workers in three sectors: healthcare (over half of members ...
in 2018. She received a score of 50% from the
National Federation of Independent Business
The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is an association of small businesses in the United States. It is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, with offices in Washington, D.C., and all 50 state capitals. The goal of NFIB is to a ...
in 2020.
Crime and gun control
Johnson opposed four pieces of gun control legislation in 2013, stating "I would do something meaningful rather than symbolic" and wanted more mental health access instead. She voted against background checks for private gun sales and
red flag legislation. She is a member of the
National Rifle Association and received an A rating from the organization during the 2018 election.
She voted against legislation in 2019 to redefine
aggravated murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...
and limit its scope, the only crime in Oregon which is eligible for the death penalty.
She also is in favor of lifting the state moratorium on the death penalty.
Homelessness and housing
Johnson opposes a
housing first
Housing First is a policy that offers unconditional, permanent housing as quickly as possible to homeless people, and other supportive services afterward. It was first discussed in the 1990s, and in the following decades became government policy ...
approach to homelessness, and would enforce laws against illegal camping in Oregon. She blames recent drug legalization, such as through
2020 Oregon Ballot Measure 110
In November 2020, voters in the U.S. state of Oregon passed Ballot Measure 110, " eclassifyingpossession/penalties for specified drugs". Drugs affected include heroin, methamphetamine, PCP, LSD and oxycodone, as well as others. The Drug Policy All ...
, for driving the crisis and would attempt to repeal it, while also focusing on deregulating housing development.
Healthcare and individual rights
Johnson supports
abortion rights
Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pre ...
. She stated that "
Planned Parenthood now is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Democrat Party" after failing to gain its endorsement during the 2022 gubernatorial election. She opposes allowing
transgender athletes to participate in girls' sporting events.
Voter rights and election integrity
Johnson has not shown support for adopting political campaign contribution limits in Oregon, and said she would oppose limits she felt "result in an uneven playing field for anyone participating in elections". She voted against legislation to make
voter registration
In electoral systems, voter registration (or enrollment) is the requirement that a person otherwise eligible to vote must register (or enroll) on an electoral roll, which is usually a prerequisite for being entitled or permitted to vote.
The r ...
automatic for people with driver's licenses.
Environment and climate change
She received a lifetime score of 64% from the
League of Conservation Voters
The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is an American environmental advocacy group. LCV says that it "advocates for sound environmental laws and policies, holds elected officials accountable for their votes and actions, and elects pro-environmen ...
, and has a record of voting against legislation to combat climate change, such as
Oregon House Bill 2020.
Electoral history
References
External links
Senator Betsy Johnson Home Page former official senatorial website
Betsy Johnson for Governor gubernatorial campaign website
*
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Betsy
1950s births
Living people
20th-century American businesspeople
20th-century American businesswomen
21st-century American politicians
21st-century American women politicians
American aviation businesspeople
Businesspeople from Oregon
Carleton College alumni
Lewis & Clark Law School alumni
Members of the Oregon House of Representatives
Oregon Democrats
Oregon Independents
Oregon state senators
People from Bend, Oregon
People from Scappoose, Oregon
Women state legislators in Oregon
Oregon Episcopal School alumni