Republican outsider Bridget Barton announced her candidacy for Oregon Governor today. For thirty years she has been a trusted advisor and advocate for Oregon’s most iconic builders, creators and employers.
Barton released the following statement:
“Cowardly politicians in power created our crisis — they’ve surrendered to angry mobs and cut support for our police officers and first responders. Small business owners and rural Oregonians are being assaulted. As a relentlessly optimistic outsider, I’ve never been afraid to do hard things. I’m asking Oregonians to have the courage to change.
“It won’t be easy, and politicians will say it can’t be done. But I’m not a politician. I’m an Oregonian, and we don’t let anyone tell us what can’t be done.”
Barton is no stranger to overcoming challenges. She launched a conservative magazine called Brainstorm NW in 1997 when many said it was too risky. The magazine became a digital publication which she still publishes and edits.
She focused much of her early career on improving education. As a young mom and freelance writer, Barton researched the charter school movement in other states. She fought to allow charter schools in Oregon to offer parents and kids alternatives to Big Box education.
Barton has real world experience to help solve Oregon’s biggest problems. As a young woman, Barton did not always make good choices. She began drinking at 14 and was a chronic alcoholic by the time she stopped drinking at28. She faced homelessness and contemplated suicide. For the past 40 years, her recovery has touched many lives and gives her a unique perspective on the accelerating problems of homelessness and addiction on our streets.
Barton has always answered the call to serve her community. Barton served previously on the Clackamas County Children and Youth Coordinating Council, the South Fork Water Board Budget Committee, and the City of West Linn’s Public Facilities Task Force. More recently she served on the DePaul Treatment Center Board and serves currently on the Freedom Foundation and Clackamas Extension Service Boards.
Bridget Barton and Curtis, her husband of 39 years, live in West Linn, Oregon. They have two adult children, a son and a daughter, who she helped put through college by breaking horses. She received her bachelor’s degree in philosophy and secondary-level teaching certification from the College of William and Mary in Virginia.
Barton’s announcement video may be viewed below.
Bridget Barton for Oregon Governor from Bridget Barton for Oregon on Vimeo.
