Exiting Oregon GOP leader, Helfrich, warns of in-fighting

By Oregon Campaign Watch,

Oregon State Representative and House Republican Minority Leader Jeff Helfrich has stepped down from his leadership role. He left behind a hard-hitting letter.  Helfrich spoke alarmingly on how in-fighting among Republicans in the State Capitol has been a disaster for progress.

Jeff Helfrich explains:

“I went into the job expecting tough fights with Democratic leadership. Instead, the toughest fights were with the caucus and party. I thought of our caucus as a team and I was its captain. Instead, I found myself playing a solo in the band and my own teammates heckling me along the way. As recently as today, while in Colorado burying my father, I had to deal with caucus politics of someone trying to oust me. Frankly, I am tired of it. I am tired of internal strife and dealing with caucus drama rather than fighting the important fights—the policy fights for a safer, more affordable Oregon…Our single mission over the next 24 months needs to be to stick together and not let petty internal fights become our limiting factor. If we want to win, we need to be united.“

Here is Oregon State Representative’s Jeff Helfrich’s full letter below:

Dear Colleagues,

You will soon receive a press release, but I wanted you to hear the news directly from me—I will not seek another term as House Republican Leader.

As many of you already know, it was never my ambition to seek a role in caucus leadership, but you bestowed your faith in me last year. I am forever grateful for the trust you put into me and my team these last 13 months and I am proud of our collective accomplishments over the last year.

We forced the majority party to negotiate on recriminalizing drugs at a point when it was beyond controversial within their own ranks. We proved wrong anyone who professes the minority party is nothing but a checkpoint on the highway. We may not control committee assignments or agendas, but they have no choice but to work with us when we set our sights on the right causes. Our work to make our streets safer and drug free is far from over, but we set the tone moving forward for Oregon’s position on drug use.

I am also damn proud of our work on the campaign trail this election cycle. Democrats stacked the deck during the last redistricting, and yet, we held all four of our “hold” seats with a Democratic voter registration edge. Democrats hold ZERO House seats with a Republican edge. Like many of you, I am disappointed we did not gain new seats to our ranks, but our holds are an absolute victory. After the 2023 session, I remember lobby saying they would consider holding back dual supermajorities as their top goal of the cycle. Of course, that was before Measure 118 fundamentally changed the pieces on the board. The Senate Republicans lost a seat, Republicans lost a seat in Congress, and Republicans lost all of the statewide races. As House Republicans, we held our ground and didn’t lose anything.

My time as leader took a toll on me. I lost precious moments with my wife and children, and I know they feel the same. It’s the sacrifice we all make as legislators, but even more as the leader. I knew the role would require days dominated with meetings, calls, and travel. I knew I would spend countless hours traveling seemingly endless miles around the state. I was prepared for those long days and nights away from home. What I was not prepared for, however, was the endless drama within the caucus. I went into the job expecting tough fights with Democratic leadership. Instead, the toughest fights were with the caucus and party. I thought of our caucus as a team and I was its captain. Instead, I found myself playing a solo in the band and my own teammates heckling me along the way. As recently as today, while in Colorado burying my father, I had to deal with caucus politics of someone trying to oust me. Frankly, I am tired of it. I am tired of internal strife and dealing with caucus drama rather than fighting the important fights—the policy fights for a safer, more affordable Oregon.

Whoever you choose as your next leader, I wish them the best of luck at unifying our caucus. I will remain a caucus member and will support the next leader and their leadership team. I will also keep myself available as a resource and a confidant.

While I am saddened by the loss of my father, he is reminding me of the precious people in my life and how much I miss them. I am here with my wife and kids, and I am reminded how much I love them. I know it’s the oldest cliché in the book to step down from a leadership position to spend time with family, but, for me, it’s the absolute truth. I have missed so much family life in the last 13 months and I look forward to being there for all the moments to come. Mazzy recently started a new middle school and Conrad was just elected Class Mayor (we both had wins on Election Day!). I need to be available to help them navigate the path to adulthood. I cannot miss any more band performances, ski competitions, or lacrosse games. And Shawna, the love of my life and my rock, has done so much parenting without me. As elected officials, we often think of the sacrifices we make and the time we spend away from home. The sacrifices our families make for us to do this work are far greater. I need to be with them. I want to be with them.

The political fights ahead for the caucus are coming and they will be relentless. With President Trump returning to the White House and Republicans controlling all three branches of the federal government, Democrats are going to come after our hold seats with everything they have during the 2026 midterms. They will throw everything they have at us with the hopes that we break—either individually from the caucus or as a caucus. Our single mission over the next 24 months needs to be to stick together and not let petty internal fights become our limiting factor.

If we want to win, we need to be united. That means no quiet conversations about coups and leadership takeovers. If you have a problem with the next leader, put your big kid pants on and have an adult conversation and share your concerns. It was not fun to receive calls from caucus members criticizing all the things they thought we did wrong, but I appreciated those conversations. Countless times, those calls resulted in us recalibrating our strategy or charting an entirely different course. Those calls made me a better leader and us a stronger caucus.

Colleagues, thank you for the opportunity to lead you and to be the voice for our caucus. It was a true honor that I will always hold with me.

Sincerely,

Jeff Helfrich