Representative Ed Diehl asks a question at a hearing for HB 2002 at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, March 20,. 2023. The bill would require health care plans in Oregon to include reproductive and gender affirming care.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
The list of Republicans vying to challenge Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek later this year is growing.
State Rep. Ed Diehl, R-Scio, looks to be the latest candidate to join the GOP fray.
In a social media post on Monday, Diehl told his followers to “get ready for a big announcement” that he plans to make Wednesday evening, at an event in Stayton.
“The time for change has arrived, Oregon,” the post said. “We’re taking our state back one bold, decisive step at a time.”
The winner of the party’s May primary contest will almost certainly take on Kotek in the November general election.
A two-term lawmaker, Diehl has become one of the more visible faces in the House Republican caucus since taking office in 2023.
He has been particularly vocal on transgender issues, pushing back against a bill to expand gender-affirming care in the state and proposing to block transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports.
More recently, Diehl played a leading role in delaying a set of tax and fee increases that Democrats passed in September to fund road maintenance.
That campaign stunned politicos by swiftly – and cheaply – collecting a quarter of a million signatures, which sent the tax measure to voter approval on the November ballot.
Asked about his plans last week, Diehl told OPB he was being urged to run, but he said, “Right now, my stance is: I’m not.”
He confirmed on Monday that has changed.
Assuming Diehl runs for governor, he would be unable to seek reelection to the House next year.
Diehl has said repeatedly that the successful campaign against Gov. Tina Kotek’s transportation tax package had given hope to Oregon Republicans.
It also connected him to an energized voter base that could be helpful in getting through the May Republican primary.
Notable candidates already collecting money and endorsements in that race include Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell and Sen. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, the party’s 2022 gubernatorial nominee.
Also running: David Medina, a Sherwood man who was charged – and subsequently pardoned by President Donald Trump – for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Medina formally rolled out his campaign at an event on Monday.
Former Portland Trail Blazer Chris Dudley – who came closer than any Republican in recent memory to winning the governor’s office with his 2010 run – is widely rumored to be planning to enter the race.
Mid-term elections are rarely kind to the party that holds power in Washington, D.C., and Democrats have signaled they will lean heavily on attacking Trump’s record as they look to expand their control this year.
Republicans, meanwhile, believe they can make a case to voters that Kotek has failed to move the needle on the state’s most important issues and that a change in direction is necessary.
