Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on the day's biggest business stories
Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Someone holds up a large "Q" sign while waiting in line to see President Trump at a rally in 2018. Photo: Rick Loomis/Getty Images
Jo Rae Perkins, who won Oregon's Republican Senate primary this week, is refuting her own campaign's statement from Wednesday that she does not believe in the QAnon conspiracy theory.
What's new: Perkins reiterated her support for QAnon to ABC News in an interview out Friday. The Senate nominee said she was “literally physically in tears” after reading the campaign statement with her name on it, which claimed she "would never describe herself as a follower."
Flashback Perkins first suggested she supported the theory — which centers around an anonymous internet user claiming to wage war against the "deep state" from within the federal government — in a now-deleted video on Twitter. In the post she said, "I stand with Q and the team," before using one of QAnon's rallying cries.
"To be very clear, I do not believe everything from Q/Anon and would never describe myself as a follower, but I also do not believe in infringing upon any outlet's right to discuss news or topics. This is the same as those on the Left who read what Julian Assange or George Soros or Bill Gates says or writes, for that matter."— Perkins' Tuesday campaign video that has since been deleted
What she's saying now: "My campaign is gonna kill me ... How do I say this? Some people think that I follow Q like I follow Jesus," Perkins told ABC Friday. "Q is the information and I stand with the information resource."
- Perkins explained that she misread the statement posted by her campaign to her personal Twitter account distancing herself from QAnon. “I scanned it and said, yeah, it looks good to me and out it went. And then I saw it afterwards and I am like, literally was in tears, literally physically in tears because I'm so blown away. Because I went, crap, that’s not me. And I don't back down."
- “I'm not backpedaling and I'm frustrated. I feel like I'm having to backpedal..."
The big picture: Many Republicans have been reluctant to unite around Perkins.
- The Republican National Committee did not comment when ABC asked about supporting the nominee. The National Republican Senatorial Committee did not explicitly back Perkins either.
What to watch: Perkins will face off against Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley in November. Cook Political Report rates the race as "solid Democrat."