# Joe Rae Perkins, avowed QAnon conspiracy theorist, is Oregon Repub. nominee for US Senate **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 20, 2020, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-rae-perkins-avowed-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-oregon-repub-nominee-for-us-senate/854200 "2020-05-20T18:00:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-rae-perkins-avowed-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-oregon-repub-nominee-for-us-senate/854200/1 "2020-05-20T18:00:00Z")
WTF is wrong with people? > **[Oregon Republicans just nominated an avowed QAnon conspiracy theorist for the...](https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/20/politics/jo-rae-perkins-qanon-jeff-merkley/index.html)** > > Oregon held its primary election on Tuesday, a mostly ho-hum affair, with Joe Biden cruising to a win over Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential race and no incumbents facing any real tests either. The article says “That’s a big problem for the Oregon Republican Party…because associating the Republican Party with this sort of bizarre conspiracy theory could have a negative effect on the party’s image in the state long after Perkins loses in the fall.” Nice thought, but I’m skeptical. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-rae-perkins-avowed-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-oregon-repub-nominee-for-us-senate/854200/2 "2020-05-20T18:10:51Z")
My guess is no, she’ll be completely ignored and given no funds or access to WinRed. Oregon wasn’t a winnable seat and it’s not like the crazy tea party candidates in 2010. It’s been a long time since I canvassed Oregon but I don’t remember the National Republican Party being a big thing there. It was more hatred of Portland and Eugene elites and hatred of environmental laws that were the concern of Oregon Republicans ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-rae-perkins-avowed-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-oregon-repub-nominee-for-us-senate/854200/3 "2020-05-20T18:11:17Z")
> [@solost](#): > > WTF is wrong with people? > [https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/20/politics/jo-rae-perkins-qanon-jeff-merkley/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/20/politics/jo-rae-perkins-qanon-jeff-merkley/index.html) > > The article says “That’s a big problem for the Oregon Republican Party…because associating the Republican Party with this sort of bizarre conspiracy theory could have a negative effect on the party’s image in the state long after Perkins loses in the fall.” Nice thought, but I’m skeptical. Is this the same Oregon Republican Party that walked out to prevent the legislature from having a quorum? The same one that seems to hint at second amendment solutions to being in the political minority in that state? Yeah, count me in the skeptical club, too. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-rae-perkins-avowed-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-oregon-repub-nominee-for-us-senate/854200/4 "2020-05-20T18:36:38Z")
Embarrassing for the Oregon GOP, but I doubt this loon’s candidacy will damage the Republican “brand” in the state long-term, any more than former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney’s [nuttery](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Cynthia_McKinney) damaged the Democratic brand in Georgia. The GOP does seem to have had significantly more problems in recent years with [flaky/offensive candidates](https://www.vox.com/2018/7/9/17525860/nazis-russell-walker-arthur-jones-republicans-illinois-north-carolina-virginia) compared to Democrats. _among other things, McKinney was/is a 9/11 Truther, expressed the belief that vaccines poison black children (the “CDC whistleblower” conspiracy theory) and believes world Jewry engages in sinister plots._\* \*\*which we do, but ssshhhh. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-rae-perkins-avowed-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-oregon-repub-nominee-for-us-senate/854200/5 "2020-05-20T18:46:57Z")
Oh, there’s a lot of sub rosa and not-so-sub-rosa woo going on here among Oregon Republicans. Not only environmental laws, but anything affecting the practice of religion, anything hinting at responsible gun ownership and the whole “mah raaghts!” crowd. When I joined my local Nextdoor group, I discovered it was an easy way to learn which of my rural neighbors are flat bat shit crazy. Sadly, it’s not a small number. On the brighter side, it’s heartening how many are _not_ flat bat shit crazy. Again, these are rural dwellers, and the sane ones do still outnumber the insane ones by an appreciable factor. What the hell constitutes a “liberal elite” in Eugene? Someone with an education? Someone who wears tie dye or a tutu? 'Coz that’s just an average Eugene resident. Is one not a liberal elite if one dons flannel? Personally, I’m glad for the standard bearer the Malheur Club nominated. It will make Merkley’s reelection a cake walk, and I don’t have to contribute monetarily to his campaign. I’m a fervent Merkley supporter, but I have limited funds available for donation and will now feel free to donate to other Dems in greater need. Republicans in their current incarnation must be fully extinguished. They’re all in on the 1984 tactics in the present age of criminal capitalism. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-rae-perkins-avowed-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-oregon-repub-nominee-for-us-senate/854200/6 "2020-05-20T18:52:08Z")
In the mid-nineties I moved from NC to WA for college. I left behind the land of anti-black racist Bible belt conservatives, but was wholly unprepared for the anti-Native-American property-rights-zealots conservatives of the Pacific Northwest. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-rae-perkins-avowed-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-oregon-repub-nominee-for-us-senate/854200/7 "2020-05-20T18:54:05Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > The GOP does seem to have had significantly more problems in recent years with [flaky/offensive candidates](https://www.vox.com/2018/7/9/17525860/nazis-russell-walker-arthur-jones-republicans-illinois-north-carolina-virginia) compared to Democrats. > [/size] That’s just a natural outcome of Trump’s presidency normalizing these thoughts and behaviors, empowering racist, offensive flakes to come out from under their rocks, isn’t it? I skimmed the article and I was surprised at first to see the subhead “Anti-Trump Nazi Running in Illinois”, but on second thought it makes sense: Trump has empowered them, but they feel Trump doesn’t go far enough. ---
**Author:** ![Tabco](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tabco/32/7644_2.png) [@Tabco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabco)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-rae-perkins-avowed-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-oregon-repub-nominee-for-us-senate/854200/8 "2020-05-20T19:26:57Z")
I looked through the Oregon voters’ pamphlet and it doesn’t seem there was a whole lot to choose from for Republican voters. There were three Republican candidates for US senator. Besides Jo Rae, one was hardly any better (his background was “fitness”), but the third one seemed like a typical mainstream Republican, if lacking in political experience. I will note that Jo Rae’s entry in the pamphlet seems to be the most polished of the three. Had I read only the pamphlet, I would’ve figured her to be the best candidate. ETA: Here’s a [link](http://oregonvotes.gov/voters-guide/english/votersguide.html#Jo%20Rae%20Perkins) to her pamphlet entry. You’ll have to select from the menu on the right to get to her entry. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-rae-perkins-avowed-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-oregon-repub-nominee-for-us-senate/854200/9 "2020-05-20T20:06:22Z")
> [@Tabco](#): > > I looked through the Oregon voters’ pamphlet and it doesn’t seem there was a whole lot to choose from for Republican voters. There were three Republican candidates for US senator. Besides Jo Rae, one was hardly any better (his background was “fitness”), but the third one seemed like a typical mainstream Republican, if lacking in political experience. > > I will note that Jo Rae’s entry in the pamphlet seems to be the most polished of the three. Had I read only the pamphlet, I would’ve figured her to be the best candidate. > > ETA: > > Here’s a [link](http://oregonvotes.gov/voters-guide/english/votersguide.html#Jo%20Rae%20Perkins) to her pamphlet entry. You’ll have to select from the menu on the right to get to her entry. This does a good job of illustrating how this can happen in a “sacrificial lamb” district - one where a party has no real hope of winning. Present oneself well, put some thought and energy into it, and most party line voters won’t dig any deeper. Reminds me of a story from years ago - I was at work and the network technician was doing some wiring under my desk, we got to talking about politics. I happen to be in a deep blue district. My network technician mentioned that he was active in the Republican party in the district and they were a very small group. So, when it came time to select their candidate, they basically took turns. This year, it was his turn, he was the Republican candidate for the district. (Nothing wrong with a network technician running for office, just the dynamics of being a small party in a district dominated by the other party.) ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-rae-perkins-avowed-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-oregon-repub-nominee-for-us-senate/854200/10 "2020-05-20T20:09:28Z")
There’s an officially-endorsed (Kevin McCarthy and all) Republican Congressional candidate in California who says that Obama should be tried for treason, people who want to buy guns should be required to eat bacon to make sure they’re not Muslims, and accused Maxine Waters of hitting the crack pipe. > **[Shocking social media posts yanked by Republican House candidate](https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/06/gop-candidates-posts-demeaned-muslims-and-mocked-parkland-shooting-survivor-241429)** > > Accounts of Ted Howze, running for a competitive seat in California, demeaned Muslims and mocked a Parkland survivor. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-rae-perkins-avowed-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-oregon-repub-nominee-for-us-senate/854200/11 "2020-05-20T23:30:09Z")
Well, Merkley beat his previous Republican challenger by 21 percentage points, so it’s not like this Oregon Senate seat was ever in danger of flipping red. Perkins’ nomination probably just means he’ll beat her by a wider margin, although she’ll also drag down some R’s nationwide by the media coverage on her and her QAnon nonsense. That being said, to give an idea of just how widespread belief in things like Qanon or Deep State are, [**even 13 percent of Democrats say “there is a deep state trying to overthrow Trump.”**](https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/articles-reports/2019/10/16/americans-favor-impeachment-want-trump-removed) ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-rae-perkins-avowed-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-oregon-repub-nominee-for-us-senate/854200/12 "2020-05-21T08:35:50Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > This does a good job of illustrating how this can happen in a “sacrificial lamb” district - one where a party has no real hope of winning. Present oneself well, put some thought and energy into it, and most party line voters won’t dig any deeper. Right. It’s an unwinnable seat so you don’t get any responsible mainstream Republicans who want to waste their time and name to be the eventual loser of the race. What you get are the outside the mainstream crackpots who get a nice platform to speak from. It doesn’t mean that the Oregon Republican Party has gone crazy. It just means that nobody, including the Republicans, give a shit about that Senate race that might as well just not be held at all. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-rae-perkins-avowed-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-oregon-repub-nominee-for-us-senate/854200/13 "2020-05-21T13:29:41Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > Right. It’s an unwinnable seat so you don’t get any responsible mainstream Republicans who want to waste their time and name to be the eventual loser of the race. What you get are the outside the mainstream crackpots who get a nice platform to speak from. > > It doesn’t mean that the Oregon Republican Party has gone crazy. It just means that nobody, including the Republicans, give a shit about that Senate race that might as well just not be held at all. …except that in times past a mainstream party would have run away from such a candidate; I don’t think that’s the case anymore. The fringe candidate gets a platform to spread fringe ideas, and with the breakdown of the political center, fringe ideas can gain more traction than they would have before now. Yes, the district is safe, but the country as a whole continues to be infected with polemicist politics. So we still lose. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-rae-perkins-avowed-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-oregon-repub-nominee-for-us-senate/854200/14 "2020-05-21T14:36:13Z")
Perkins deleted the video from her Twitter account and issued a clarifying statement: > [@Jo Rae Perkins](#): > > I was not endorsing Q/Anon, but rather stating that I appreciate the fact that there is still free speech in this country that allows for voices – including whistleblowers from both sides of the aisle – that may, or may not, bring to light issues Americans need to be aware of. Yup, that sure clarifies things. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-rae-perkins-avowed-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-oregon-repub-nominee-for-us-senate/854200/15 "2020-05-21T18:19:58Z")
The Republican establishment has disavowed their endorsement of Howze. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-rae-perkins-avowed-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-oregon-repub-nominee-for-us-senate/854200/16 "2020-05-21T18:59:22Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Perkins deleted the video from her Twitter account and issued a clarifying statement: > Yup, that sure clarifies things. > [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > The Republican establishment has disavowed their endorsement of Howze. Last time I saw back-pedaling that fast, I was rewinding my VHS tape of the _Tour de France._ 😃 ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-rae-perkins-avowed-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-oregon-repub-nominee-for-us-senate/854200/17 "2020-05-21T23:31:34Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > The Republican establishment has disavowed their endorsement of Howze. Presidential Twitter encouragement must be imminent. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-rae-perkins-avowed-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-oregon-repub-nominee-for-us-senate/854200/18 "2020-05-21T23:43:05Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Presidential Twitter encouragement must be imminent. Cabinet position (acting). ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2020, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-rae-perkins-avowed-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-oregon-repub-nominee-for-us-senate/854200/19 "2020-05-23T00:52:50Z")
In a [new interview with ABC News](https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2020/05/oregon-republican-senate-nominee-reiterates-support-for-qanon-in-national-interview-then-declines-to-verify-stance.html) on Friday, Perkins walked back her walking back of her support for QAnon. She is once again a supporter and follower of Q. “Q is the information and I stand with the information resource.” Then a few hours later, she professed ignorance of her latest statement, walking back the walking back the walking back. I’d say she’s trolling the media, except that she really is this stupid. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2020, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-rae-perkins-avowed-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-oregon-repub-nominee-for-us-senate/854200/20 "2020-05-23T01:42:09Z")
I think there were 4–one wasn’t in the voter’s pamphlet. They were a repugnant group. > [@](#): > > Is one not a liberal elite if one dons flannel? Cite to the contrary: [Pete DeFazio](https://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/klcc/files/styles/x_large/public/201812/defazio_in_studio2.jpg).