SALEM — Former state Sen. Betsy Johnson has qualified for the Nov. 8 general election as an unaffiliated candidate for governor.

“Damn straight,” Johnson said in a statement. “This is a momentous day for Oregon.”

Ben Morris, spokesman for Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan, confirmed that Johnson would be on the ballot alongside Democrat Tina Kotek and Republican Christine Drazan.

Johnson, the former Democrat from Columbia County, needed 23,744 valid signatures to qualify for the general election slate that will go before all 2.9 million registered voters in Oregon.

Campaign workers with Johnson wheeled what she said were petitions with 48,214 signatures Fagan’s office in Salem on Aug. 16.

The secretary’s Elections Division had until Aug. 30 to announce whether Johnson’s petitions had passed a random verification sampling. Fagan said a review showed the petitions had 37,679 valid signatures — well above the threshold required.

The final statewide ballot will be set Aug. 30. County and local ballots must be finalized no later than Sept. 8.

The trio of women will ensure a historic election in November.

Johnson is seeking to become the second governor in state history to be elected without major party support. Julius Meier won one term in 1930 during a major rift in the Oregon Republican Party.

Drazan is running to be the first Republican to win the office in 40 years. Gov. Vic Atiyeh won a second term in 1982.

Kotek is seeing to extend the Democratic win streak dating back to the election of Neil Goldschmidt in 1986.

Adding to the mix is that Oregon voters have not seen a general election ballot without the name of an incumbent or former governor on it since 2002. Gov. Kate Brown was barred from running against by term limits.