This week has been rocky for Oregon conservatives. The resignation of a brand new party chair less than 60 days into a two-year term is a painful blow, and could easily make the 2026 election cycle difficult without some significant soul-searching and restructuring.
For those worried about the Party’s strength going forward, I want to remind you that the ORP is about more than just one person, and our other party officers are a talented team with a winning record. Our valiant National Committeewoman Tracy Honl is a sacrificial leader who has given her all for the America First movement since she began despite the tumult of changing party leadership and vicious lawfare from within her own party. When I stepped down as ORP Treasurer in 2023 as I dealt with life-threatening health issues, I asked the Party’s current Finance Chair, Brian Bishop, to run for the seat and during his time in that role he ultimately became the most successful ORP Treasurer of the past 25 years. I sincerely hope that new ORP Chair Connie Welchel retains Brian in this current Executive Committee role, because his guidance will keep the Party on the right financial footing. Secretary Sheri Brady, too, brings a strong record of relationship building that will be critical for maintaining essential communication across the ORP over the next two years.
Following the lead of other large volunteer-driven organizations, I think the Oregon Republican Party should create a nominating committee charged with vetting officer candidates before future elections. Said committee could be composed of former officers and executive committee members charged with interviewing officer candidates, performing background checks, reviewing employment history, and interviewing references. Members would be forbidden from supporting candidates during a race, and they would provide unbiased reports to State Central Committee Delegates. In order to avoid excluding candidates, review by the Nominating Committee would not be mandatory to run, but those who skip the process would have to do even more work to prove their fitness during their campaigns.
Oregon conservatives should not give up hope for 2026, or for future elections. The District maps for House of Representatives make the lower chamber of the legislature competitive for Republicans, and we have talented leadership in the House Republican Caucus well-positioned to take advantage of these opportunities. The ORP will have a replacement Vice Chair soon enough, keeping Party leadership strong. Our country’s new Secretary of Labor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, is a proud Oregonian whose drive to empower America’s laborers will endear the working class to conservative policies and candidates all across these United States.
Few people know how uncomfortable unplanned leadership transitions in the Oregon Republican Party can be more keenly than I do, but I have faith in my fellow Beaver State conservatives to move forward and fight for a better future.
Editor’s Note: Alex McHaddad is the President of Right Now Oregon, LLC. His views do not reflect an official editorial stance of Right Now Oregon. McHaddad is the current City Administrator of Elgin, Oregon and Treasurer of Young Republicans of Oregon, as well as a former Treasurer of the Oregon Republican Party (2022-2023).
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