Politics
Oregon House Speaker Julie Fahey Faces Primary Challenge from Three Democratic Colleagues
Reps. Daniel Nguyen, Ben Bowman, and Thuy Tran are seeking to unseat Speaker Julie Fahey in a leadership vote at the Democrats' biennial retreat in two weeks, citing frustrations over stalled transportation funding and a need for bold leadership.
SALEM â Oregon House Speaker Julie Fahey (D-West Eugene) is facing a rare intraparty challenge for her leadership post, with at least three Democratic colleagues angling to replace her ahead of the 2027 legislative session.
Rep. Daniel Nguyen (D-Lake Oswego) confirmed to Willamette Week that he intends to run for speaker, joining Majority Leader Ben Bowman (D-Tigard) and Rep. Thuy Tran (D-Northeast Portland) in the contest. The challenge comes as House Democrats prepare to vote on leadership positions, including speaker, at their biennial retreat in two weeks.
Fahey has held the speaker's gavel since 2024 but has drawn criticism for recent legislative setbacks, most notably the failure over the past two years to pass a comprehensive transportation funding package.
"We are at an inflection point that requires bold leadership," Nguyen said in a written statement. "Oregon's revenue system is held together by Band-Aids, and I think we are overdue for a comprehensive, public discussion on how to modernize our tax structure if we want to make progress in education, health care, economic development, transportation, housing and all our shared priorities."
The challengers emerged publicly after lobbyist and former Oregon lawmaker Rick Metsger first reported on the aspirants in his newsletter. Oregon Public Broadcasting had previously covered the potential candidates Metsger surfaced.
Fahey, for her part, says she hopes to retain the position and is making her case to colleagues.
"I'm confident that I am still the right choice for Speaker because of my vision to capitalize on this historic moment in time," Fahey said in a statement. "Oregonians are waking up every day thinking about how they're going to afford gas, groceries and health care, and we need to deliver real progress for them next year. I'm ready to hit the ground running in the upcoming session fighting to keep Oregonians insured, making sure data centers are paying their fair share, and improving our schools."
The leadership scramble comes as Democrats are set to enter the 2027 session with a strengthened majority. The party picked up two seats in this month's midterms, claiming 39 of 60 seats in the House. But those gains are widely seen as a reflection of nationwide dissatisfaction with the MAGA brand rather than an endorsement of Oregon's Democratic lawmakers, adding pressure on the caucus to demonstrate tangible results.
Hopes are high that the party can find cohesion on substantive issues like expanding mental health treatment capacity and improving Kâ12 student success. But the speaker's race could expose underlying tensions over priorities and strategy.
Gov. Tina Kotek declined to comment at a recent press conference when asked whether Fahey should continue as speaker, underscoring the sensitivity of the intraparty fight.
The vote at the retreat will determine who leads the House Democratic caucus into a session where major policy decisionsâfrom transportation funding to tax modernizationâawait. With the 2027 session set to start in January, the outcome will shape the party's ability to deliver on promises to address affordability, health care, and education.
For now, Fahey is not backing down, and her challengers are making clear they believe a change in leadership is needed to break through legislative gridlock.
"We are overdue for a comprehensive, public discussion," Nguyen said, "on how to modernize our tax structure."