Bio

Kerry McQuisten is the former mayor of Baker City, Oregon who garnered national media attention when she stood against then-governor Kate Brown's tyrannical COVID mandates, opening her City Hall well before other cities and declaring a city-wide crime, mental health and economic crisis due to Brown's lockdowns. Under her leadership, Baker City became the focal point for a statewide network of city and county freedom fighters. She later ran on the Republican ticket for governor in the 2022 primary, winning the second most counties in Oregon after the nominee.

Kerry is a 7th generation Oregonian and homeschool mom whose two daughters are 8th generation with family roots that go all the way back to one of Baker City's founding families, the Campbells. Raised on her family's Burnt River-area cattle ranch, three generations of her family lived off the grid and worked the land. Her childhood taught her to be self-sufficient and independent, and she believes our farmers, ranchers, miners and loggers are the best possible stewards of the land.

She holds an international relations degree, and has lived in Spain and Japan. She says her experience overseas gave her a deep appreciation of other cultures, including her own here in America. After Japan, she worked her way up in the international A/E/C industry to a vice president of marketing position.

In 2007, Kerry founded Black Lyon Publishing, LLC in Baker City, and was named Entrepreneur of the Year by the Northeast Oregon Economic Development District. Her company has been featured in various magazines, business journals, and newspapers over the years. Black Lyon books have topped out multiple Amazon charts at #1, and even making the Forbes "Best of" Christmas list.

Kerry has added public speaker and author to her accomplishments and remains politically active both in Oregon - and on a national and international scale. She currently serves as Chair of the Board for the Oregon Conservative Caucus nonprofit and as First Vice President of the Baker County Republican Women. She is a Senior Advisor for Republicans Overseas (RO). In 2023, she co-founded RO's Worldwide Freedom Initiative.

Additional political accomplishments:

Helped draft Baker County's 2A preservation ordinance, which county voters passed by a landslide.
Served as chief petitioner for Oregon's Constitutional Carry Initiative IP-21.
Voted in Baker City's 2A preservation resolution while on Council.
Authored Measure 111-1, requiring Baker City Council members to review the U.S. and Oregon constitutions and their Oath of Office annually. This measure was passed in another landslide by local voters.

2022 Gubernatorial Campaign Archives

(Headshot may be used without additional permission for media and promotional purposes.)