A political action committee representing Planned Parenthood claims one of the three candidates for Oregon governor lied in Tuesday night’s debate in Bend.
Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon claims it contacted independent candidate Betsy Johnson about taking part in its endorsement process.
On Tuesday, as the debate entered a discussion about abortion, Democratic candidate Tina Kotek said she was the only one on the stage who had been endorsed by Planned Parenthood.
That’s when Johnson responded.
“I wasn’t allowed to present credentials to Planned Parenthood,” Johnson said. “Planned Parenthood now is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Democrat Party. We weren’t asked to fill out a form or present credentials and I reject the notion that there’s any insinuation that I’m not completely pro-choice. I am and will remain so.”
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Planned Parenthood PAC called this a lie. It sent Central Oregon Daily News a copy of what it says is an email sent to Johnson’s campaign on December 17, 2021.
“Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon would like to invite you to participate in our endorsement process for the 2022 Governor’s Primary,” the email reads.
The PAC claims Johnson never responded.
Wednesday morning, Johnson was in the Central Oregon Daily News studio for a pre-scheduled interview. Johnson, who says she is pro-choice, disagrees with the claim and says that it’s not the real issue.
“Planned Parenthood and I disagree on the history and it serves no purpose to say ‘she lied, they lied.’ The real issue is a woman in Oregon is going to have reproductive choice and an opportunity to control their own reproductive lives,” Johnson said.
We invited all three candidates to answer one-on-one questions on multiple topics. We’ll have those for you on Central Oregon Daily News, centraloregondaily.com and our YouTube channel starting Monday.
