Did you know that educated women are not susceptible to sexual abuse? Me neither! Luckily, here comes Oregon gubernatorial candidate Bud Pierce to set us all straight. This important lesson was delivered just moments after his opponent, Oregon Governor Kate Brown, revealed for the first time that she’d been the victim of domestic violence.


“A woman that has great education and training and a great job is not susceptible to this kind of abuse by men, women or anyone,” Pierce said during a debate on Friday, raising his index finger in what I have forever come to think of as “the Trump Shocker.”

This priceless “actually” moment was spawned after an audience member asked both contenders to comment on a recent report showing that over 50 percent of women and girls in Oregon reported being the victim of some form of domestic or sexual violence, according to KGW.


Brown responded that she knows “what it feels like to be a victim of domestic violence,” and when she was finished making her point, Pierce stepped in to inform her that actually, she didn’t. He prattled on for a few more moments about how powerful women have access to resources allowing them to “go at it,” whatever that means, and that poor women are more vulnerable to abuse.

Rather than striding over from her podium and smacking Pierce upside the head, as I would have done, Brown instead delivered this delicious rejoinder. Via the Washington Post:

After Pierce made his comments about what kind of women are susceptible to abuse, a visibly shaken Brown asked for a chance to rebut: “I’m honestly not sure where to start,” she said. “I grew up in a middle-class family. I went to law school. I know what it feels like to be paid less — substantially less — than the male lawyer in the office next to me. This is not just about power; it’s about making sure that people are not discriminated against because of their gender, because of their race and because of their sexual orientation.”

Pierce later offered up the following statement, which, in classic Actually Male fashion, begins with an anecdote about himself and his personal qualifications for making sweeping statements about women’s lives. (He’s a doctor, so.)


Brown is Oregon’s second female governor and the first openly bisexual governor in U.S. history, the Post adds. She’s favored to win the special election in November.