OR-GOV: Oregon House speaker reprimands Republican gubernatorial candidate for fundraising during session
Oregon House Speaker Julie Fahey on Friday chided the chamber’s sole gubernatorial candidate, Republican Rep. Ed Diehl of Scio, for violating self-imposed House rules by collecting campaign donations during this year’s short legislative session.
In a letter of correction sent to Diehl on Friday, the Eugene Democrat urged Diehl to return the money and refrain from accepting further contributions during the session, which must end by March 8.
But while Fahey said future violations of House rules will be “dealt with accordingly,” she acknowledged that there is some uncertainty around the rule’s legal viability. A Jan. 23 legal opinion legislative attorneys have put forth suggested the rule violates free speech rights and would likely be struck down in court.
“The exact manner of enforcement of this has never been made an issue. It was well understood that the House members would not want to be engaged in conduct that might cause reasonable people to be suspicious of their motives for performing the duties of their office,” Fahey wrote on Friday. “Consequently, it has always been a matter of voluntary compliance. It appears that this agreement has been broken by you in this case.”
https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/02/27/oregon-house-speaker-reprimands-republican-gubernatorial-candidate-for-fundraising-during-session/