State Sen. Betsy Johnson to run for governor as independent

Oregon state Sen. Betsy Johnson plans to run for governor in 2022 without the backing of any political party. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that Johnson announced her plans in an email Thursday. Johnson, from Warren, would be up for re-election in her northwest Oregon Senate district next year and will relinquish her Democratic party registration by the spring.  Johnson acknowledged it will be an expensive and challenging to mount a competitive campaign without major party support. Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, cannot run for re-election in 2022 due to term limits.