Every political candidate has their “thing” that they’re known for. Washington had his teeth. Lincoln had his hat. FDR had his wheelchair.

But what does Betsy Johnson have? Her glasses. The only thing she’s known for is her big, Iris Apfel-looking glasses. That’s it. It’s plastered on her campaign yard signs. It’s all over her posters. It’s her thing.

Glasses. That’s it. What, does Betsy Johnson want us to think she’s special because she wears glasses?

Betsy Johnson isn’t even the only Oregon gubernatorial candidate who wears glasses. Tina Kotek also wears big ol’ cartoon-character-looking glasses, but you don’t see her using those to define her entire existence.

So why does Betsy insist on using her glasses as her only distinguishing feature? Is her campaign really not interesting enough for her to use anything other than glasses?

Well, Betsy Johnson gets a lot of NRA money and would likely weaken gun laws, which isn’t particularly popular with Oregon’s Democratic-majority population. Yikes. 

Okay, so what else? Betsy Johnson used to consistently shoot down climate legislation under lobbying from the timber industry (which, on an unrelated note, has been spotted donating to the UO Environmental Law program). Oof. It still won’t win over any voters. What else?

Betsy is a “moderate.” But what really is a moderate when one candidate is normal and the other’s not? So Betsy is only “moderately-normal”? I’m only moderately impressed.

What’s up with her campaign slogan, too? “Run, Betsy, Run”? Is she being run out of a rural Oregon town? Who is she running from? One of her dissatisfied, gun-toting supporters? On second thought, it may just be a Christine Drazan supporter.
The last potential thing Betsy has going for her is that she’s an independent and is “above the two-party system.” That may sound good, until you realize that her candidacy has the potential to split the vote, sapping votes away from Kotek and allowing Drazan to win the election, potentially plunging Oregon under conservative rule for the first time since the 1980s. All of which is happening  during an era where election deniers and anti-abortion legislators are making numerous state-level gains. Dang.

It seems like Betsy’s freakish-looking, attention-seeking glasses truly are the only thing she has going for her.

Phil Knight likes her though.