Betsy Johnson

Betsy Johnson
Member of the Oregon Senate from the 16th district
In office January 2005 – December 2021
Preceded by	Joan Dukes
Succeeded by	Rachel Armitage
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives from the 31st district
In office January 2003 – January 2005
Preceded by	Jackie Taylor
Succeeded by	Brad Witt
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives from the 1st district
In office January 2001 – January 2003
Succeeded by	Wayne Krieger
Personal details
Born	(1951-01-12) January 12, 1951 (age 71) Bend, Oregon, U.S.
Political party	Democratic (Before 2021) Independent (2021–present)
Relatives	Sam Johnson (father)
Education	Carleton College (BA) Lewis and Clark College (JD)

Elizabeth Johnson (born January 12, 1951) is an American politician who served as a member of the Oregon State Senate, representing the 16th Senate District, which includes the cities of Tillamook, Astoria, St. Helens, and Seaside. Johnson previously served in the Oregon House of Representatives.^[1]

She began serving in the Senate in January 2005, initially being appointed to succeed Joan Dukes, who had vacated the seat to take another position.^[2][1] She was elected to the seat the following year.^[3] She is currently an nonaffiliated candidate for Oregon governor in 2022.^[4]

Early life[]

Johnson was born on January 1, 1951, in Bend, Oregon to Sam and Elizabeth "Becky" Johnson.^[5] Sam Johnson was a successful lumber businessman and philanthropist in Central Oregon, who also served in the state legislature as a Republican. Her mother Becky served on multiple state education boards.^[6]

At 22, she graduated Carleton College in 1973 with a Bachelor's in History, and from the Northwestern School of Law in 1977 with a Juris Doctor. Following that, she flew as a licensed commercial pilot for rotor-wing as well as fixed wing aircraft and in 1978 founded Transwestern Helicopters Inc., a business facility located in the Scappoose, Oregon Airport. During her time in aviation, she was one of the numbered few of female pilots certified by the Forest Service to fly external load on forest fires.^[7][8]

In September 1993, Johnson was chosen to be Manager of the Aeronautics Division of the Oregon Department of Transportation. The same year she sold a section of her company with the rest of the firm shifting ownership to her husband, John Helm, under the new company name 'Transwestern Aviation Inc.'. She served as manager of the division for 5 years, before becoming Vice President of Legislative Affairs for the Oregon Pilots Association. In this position she helped promote legislation that created the Oregon Department of Aviation.

Throughout her life, she has served in many ranking positions, including roles in the Oregon Health Sciences University Foundation, the Doernbecher Children's Hospital, the Oregon Public Broadcasting Foundation and the High Desert Museum. She has also held the position as director of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.^[6][9]

Political career[]

Oregon House[]

In the 2000 Oregon state elections, Johnson ran for State House District 1 as a Democrat. District 1 encompasses the southwestern region of Oregon including the towns of Gold Beach, Brookings, and Coquille. In the general election, she defeated Libertarian Don McDaniel, and Constitution nominee Bob Ekstrom with 62.13% of the vote and served for two years.

In 2002, she relocated north to Scappoose, and ran for State House in District 31, encompassing the towns of Scappoose, Saint Helens, and Rainier. In the general election, she once again faced no Republican opponent in the election and received 66.58% of the vote against non-affiliated candidate Arnold Mervin, and Constitution nominee Bob Ekstrom, who ran against her a second time.^[10] In the 2004 Oregon state elections rep. Johnson ran for reelection, winning in a landslide with 76.10%.^[11]

Oregon Senate[]

In the same year, long time legislator Joan Dukes was appointed by Governor Ted Kulongoski to serve on the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, and her seat as State Senator for the 16th District was appointed to Johnson.^[12] Johnson ran in 2006 to hold the seat, succeeding in the Democratic primary unopposed, and winning the general election with 63.61% against Republican nominee Don Fell.^[13] She won reelection in 2010 again with 54.40% in a tighter partisan race, and again in 2014 with a larger margin of 70.03%, and most recently in 2018 with another landslide of 84.04%.^[14][15][16]

Working in the state senate, Johnson served on the Joint Committee of Ways and Means which organizes the state's budget. She was the senate chair of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, which works with the Secretary of State on examining and overlooking certain records and information. She was also a member of the Joint Committee On Legislative Policy and Research, whose goal is for a more transparent legislative process and provides staffing, analysis, and data in the policymaking process.^{[6][17][18][19]}

Johnson has a record of taking centrist and independent positions. Despite being a registered Democrat, she has voted with the Oregon Republican Party on issues of business taxation, cap-and-trade environmental actions, and gun control.^[20][21][22] She has supported the Timber Unity movement, that gained traction among rural Oregonians and blue collar loggers in opposition to House Bill 2020.^[23] Critics have pointed to her large funding from corporations, receiving over $100,000 from timber interests, and 70% of her overall funding from corporations.^[22] Despite this, the Oregon State Public Interest Research Group has given Johnson a 70% rating.^[24] Johnson has appeared in relations with the Independent Party of Oregon, a populist and centrist political party, despite having Andrew Kaza, an IPO official, run against her in 2014.^[15][25] She was reported in 2015 to have considered joining the party.^[26]

As of 2020, Johnson has received a "D" Rating from the SEIU Local 503 union,^[27] a lifetime score of 66% from the League of Conservation Voters,^[28] a 100% rating from the Oregon Farm Bureau,^[9] and a 50% rating from the National Federation of Independent Businesses.^[29]

Gubernatorial campaign[]

In October 2021, Betsy Johnson released a statement declaring her candidacy for governor of Oregon, running as nonaffiliated. In the statement she positioned herself in the political middle, rejecting the "extreme left" and "radical right".^[30] being a declared "independent-minded pro-choice, pro-jobs" candidate, she has spoke of working to bipartisanship in the legislature, and reducing government spending. She intends to eliminate the influence of teacher's unions and special interest in education reform, and has spoken against the continued distance-learning in schools for COVID-19.^[31]

In December, Johnson announced her intention to resign from the senate, choosing instead to focus on her independent campaign for governor.^[32]

Personal life[]

Johnson's father, Sam Johnson, served in the Oregon House from 1965 to 1978 representing a Central Oregon district. Unlike his daughter, he was a Republican.^[3][33] Sam Johnson served as Mayor of Redmond after he left the Legislature.

References[]

External links[]

• Oregon State Senate - Betsy Johnson official state website