Independent candidate Clay Bearnson (middle) joins Republican Brad Hicks (top) and Democrat Denise Krause on the Oregon Senate District 3 ballot.

There is a “Members Only” sign on political parties in Oregon. Only D’s and R’s are invited. When a party crasher comes in the doorway and grabs a Red Solo Cup, eyebrows twinge, backs get turned, and the whispering begins.

Clay Bearnson doesn’t understand what the fuss is all about. After all, he and his partner, Robin Bittinger, have owned the Gypsy Blues Bar in Medford for years and made it into a downtown favorite for burgers, beers, and bands, with a music venue that runs the gambit from jazz to punk rock and karaoke. Everyone is welcome. Membership is not required.

Now Bearnson is experiencing another establishment: the establishment of electoral politics, and he has found it’s not happy hour for everyone.

Clay Bearnson, running for Senate District 3, owns the Gypsy Blues Bar in Medford.

Upset about what he feels is an expedited erosion of the working class by both political parties, Bearnson has been nominated by the Independent Party of Oregon for Senate District 3 in Southern Oregon. It is an open seat with the retirement of Sen. Jeff Golden (D-Ashland). Democrats need to hold on to it to maintain their super-majority in the Senate, banking on their nominee, Denise Krause, while the Republicans are hoping to strip it away with their candidate, Brad Hicks.

Now, Bearnson, a former Democrat, has decided three is better than two and hopes to convince voters that his populist approach of focusing on affordability, what he calls the “dangerous” threats to working people from AI, and true campaign finance reform will resonate with voters.

“I am a small business owner, working hard every day and night and I don’t have health insurance. I make a little too much for Medicaid and too little to afford the high cost of commercial insurance,” he said. “Meanwhile the two parties seem to focus all their attention on fighting each other than joining together to help working class people.”

In a district than leans Democratic, Bearnson knows there is angst from some circles about what his candidacy might do to upset the calculations of political party leaders.

“There are some people I know who would probably try and get me to drop out. But I am staying in and working hard at a grassroots level to earn people’s votes every day,” Bearnson said.

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“It’s a long shot, but I say why not
If I say forget it, I know that I’ll regret it
It’s a long shot just to beat these odds

The chance is we won’t make it

But I know if I don’t take it, there’s no chance
So, take a long shot.”

— Kelly Clarkson

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Bearnson does have some political experience, having served two terms on the Medford City Council. Jackson County Democrats endorsed him for Medford Mayor in 2024. He says he has more and more people stepping up to volunteer to canvas with him every day.

On one of his priorities, campaign finance reform, retiring Sen. Golden says he was impressed with Bearnson’s commitment and understanding of the issue when the two met earlier in the summer.

Golden is drafting legislation for the next session that he hopes will find some champions, since he won’t be around to navigate the political landscape from within. He, like Bearnson, sees the new rules as so complicated and unwieldly that it will be great for lawyers but not so much for achieving real results. Golden proposes eliminating the entire law and replacing it with a tried and true reform system already in place in a number of states that has proven to be effective.

Currently, he is leaning toward the law in Washington State that appears to work, as he says, “with one-tenth the complexity and one-tenth the cost of ours.

“Here in Oregon, we always want to show we are smarter than other states,” Golden says.

Golden says he doesn’t have a real feel for how the race to succeed him will ultimately play out but is pleased to see an issue he cares deeply about will now be part of the conversation. So far, he has not endorsed any candidate in the race.

Bearnson’s concern about affordability and high taxes may also resonate with voters as prices soar and wages stay stagnant. “Both parties refuse to deal with the growing wealth and capital of the few and taking it instead from working class people,” Bearnson said.

Without the big money infusion his two opponents are raking in, Bearnson recognizes his grassroots efforts are both limiting and necessary.

“I believe a lot of Democrats are not happy with the Democratic candidate and will vote for me,” Bearnson said. On the flip side, he also notes his decades-long standing in the business community will help with many small business owners who, like himself, know the feeling of disenfranchisement.

While the odds of winning are long, his candidacy marks a pivot in the electoral process for the Independent Party which often simply cross-nominates other party candidates rather than field a standard bearer of their own. A good showing by Bearnson could give a boost to the Independent Party’s profile and encourage more candidates to step forward in the future in major legislative races.

As Kelly Clarkson says: “In all probability it’s a long shot, but I say, ‘why not?’”