Jo Rae Perkins

Perkins entered the Oregon Republican Senate primary on January 17, 2020, saying she was inspired by what she described as Senator Jeff Merkley's focus on "sham impeachment trials." Between entering the race and March 2020, Perkins raised over $25,000 in publicly declared campaign funds, with many donations on WinRed, the official Republican National Convention- and Trump-supported fundraising platform.

Perkins won the primary on May 19, 2020, and will oppose the Democratic incumbent Senator Jeff Merkley in November for the general election. She finished with nearly fifty percent of the vote, well ahead of her three challengers. During Perkin's victory speech, she repeatedly invoked a catchphrase associated with the QAnon conspiracy theory and expressed appreciation for the QAnon supporters whom she met during her campaign. In a victory video that was subsequently deleted, Perkins said, "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." In an interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting a few days after the video was taken down, Perkins said she had removed the video under advice from a campaign consultant, that she regretted the removal, and that she continues to view the QAnon forums as one source of information among many that she values.

Perkins was a Congressional candidate in 2018, running again in the 4th district, but she lost to Robinson in the Republican primary. Right Wing Watch reports that Perkins posted many tweets containing QAnon-related messages and hashtags during the 2018 race. She won 21 percent of the Republican primary vote in the 2018 election.

Perkins was the first Republican challenger to enter the 2014 Oregon Republican primary, joining on August 16 in her first federal election attempt. She said she joined in large part out of concern regarding erosion of states' rights. Her campaign expressed disatisfaction after she was not invited to a January debate between the two frontrunners at the Dorchester Conference. As of February 2014, she had raised just under $4,600 in campaign funding for the year, the least out of the four eventual Republican candidates. She lost, coming in fourth place with 3% of the vote. In 2016, Perkins ran for Oregon's 4th congressional district and came in 2nd place in the Republican primary behind Art Robinson. She received 32% of the vote.

Perkins has had to face financial and legal issues. A 2010 article in the Albany Democrat-Herald said that Perkins had made two filings for personal bankruptcy and was fired in 2008 from her sales position at an investment company for violating its policy. while an article in The Oregonian said that Perkins was arrested in December 2005 on charges of hindering prosecution and harassment of police who were searching for her son for allegedly evading them after they stopped him for allegedly speeding; Perkins later pleaded no contest to the charges.

Perkins ran unsuccessful campaigns for Albany mayor in 2010 and for city council. She ran unsuccessful campaigns for Senate in 2014 and 2018. She won the Republican Senatorial primary in March 2020.

Perkins has been an Albany resident since 1975. Perkins served as chairwoman of the Linn County Republican Party for two years, and also worked for a number of years as financial advisor. She also volunteered at the Northwest Art and Air Festival for many years, where she helped run the air ballooning, relying on a class she took at Linn-Benton Community College.

Jo Rae Perkins (born May 9, 1956) is the Republican nominee for the 2020 United States Senate election in Oregon.