Jo Rae Perkins is a perennial Republican candidate who has run for federal office multiple times: U.S. Senate in 2014, 2020, and 2022; U.S. House in 2016 and 2018. She was born in Portsmouth, Virginia and has lived in Albany, Oregon since 1975. Perkins is a semi-retired insurance agent with professional background in real estate, personal banking, financial advising, and insurance. She earned an associate degree in business management from Linn-Benton Community College (1978) and a bachelor's degree in political science from Oregon State University (2013). She served as chair of the Linn County Republican Party. Perkins is married to George, a carpet installation contractor, and has two children and 11 grandchildren. She finished second in the 2020 U.S. Senate general election with 39% of the vote and lost again in 2022 with 41% of the vote.
Perkins represents grassroots conservative activism with focus on constitutional government limits and distrust of federal institutions. Her multiple campaign attempts show persistence and belief in her message despite electoral defeats. Her embrace of QAnon distinguishes her within Republican field and has drawn national attention from both supporters and critics. She participated in January 6 Capitol protest in Washington D.C., later claiming she removed herself before violence occurred and asserting unsubstantiated claims about anti-fascists being present disguised as Trump supporters. Her three losses (2020 and 2022 in U.S. Senate; 2016, 2018 in U.S. House) suggest limited electoral viability despite strong support in conservative rural counties.
Reduce federal government dramatically; eliminate departments
Perkins advocates for minimal federal government role, stating 'I don't need the U.S. Forest Service on our land. It is unconstitutional.' Supports zero-based budgeting in federal executive departments and wants to ensure Americans can keep all rights outlined in Constitution.
Voting History: Not applicable as non-incumbent; stated positions on federal overreach consistent across multiple campaigns
Election security and voter integrity measures
Questions mail-in ballot safeguards, advocates for voter ID requirements and clean voter rolls. Raised concerns about urban turnout anomalies in 2020 election aftermath.
Voting History: Post-2020 joined Republican critiques of voting processes, questioned mail-in ballot safeguards, advocated audits based on state-level discrepancies
Tax reform and privatization
Supports replacing federal income taxes with federal consumption taxes, privatizing Medicare and Social Security, repealing the Affordable Care Act, and abolishing the Federal Reserve.
Voting History: Consistent policy positions across multiple campaigns
Border security with conditional legal status
Supports accepting permanent residency for undocumented immigrants contingent on securing the Mexico-U.S. border, and advocates for the DREAM Act.
Voting History: Policy positions stated in candidate questionnaires
Not applicable - Perkins has not held federal elected office and therefore has no voting record in Congress.
Social media shows enthusiastic engagement with conspiracy content alongside more conventional conservative messaging. Perkins frequently uses patriotic and constitutional language alongside QAnon-related posts, blending conspiracy theory engagement with traditional conservative policy positions. After controversy from 2020 primary, tone shifted slightly but maintained support for QAnon as information source rather than conspiracy theory.
Election night video stating 'I stand with President Trump. I stand with Q and the team. Thank you Anons, and thank you patriots. And together, we can save our republic.'
Video posted after winning 2020 Republican primary; later deleted after campaign consultant advice but Perkins expressed regret about removal
View post →Guest appearance on IntheMatrixxx QAnon livestream where she described COVID-19 as 'fake virus' and questioned mask-wearing
Two-hour episode where Perkins engaged with QAnon content creators and made unsubstantiated health claims
View post →Posted about QAnon book looking 'very interesting'; engagement with QAnon hashtags #WW1WGA and #GreatAwakening
Early evidence of Perkins' QAnon engagement dating back to at least November 2019
View post →Perkins' embrace of QAnon conspiracy theories makes her unfit for office and represents extremism within Republican Party
National Republican Party leaders and publications like National Review have urged her to be 'shunned and repudiated' for elevating QAnon rhetoric; FBI identifies QAnon as domestic terrorist threat
Perkins represents fringe extremism incompatible with Oregon values
Merkley won 2020 general election with 57% to Perkins' 39%, with strong support in urban and suburban areas