Attacks by Republican Establishment on Campaign

Standing Firm Against the Establishment: Russ McAlmond’s Fight for Oregon’s U.S. Senate Seat

In the 2026 Republican primary for Oregon’s open U.S. Senate seat, one candidate stands out not because of party machinery or donor lists, but because of principle, service, and an unshakable refusal to bow to insider pressure.

That candidate is Russ McAlmond—the only veteran in the race. Yet the very party that should be uniting behind strong, battle-tested conservatives has chosen instead to attack him through proxies, whispers, and coordinated social-media assaults.

This is not new behavior.

It is the same tired playbook the Oregon Republican Party establishment has run for years, and Oregon voters deserve to see it for what it is: a desperate attempt to protect power and money rather than advance conservative values.

The pattern is unmistakable.

Recall how Oregon Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr endorsed Christine Drazan for governor while the primary is still in its early stages, effectively trying to clear the field for his preferred choice over Ed Diehl. The message was clear: the establishment picks winners before the voters do.

Diehl, a principled fighter who is refusing to play ball, is trying to be sidelined early by the Salem establishment. 

Now the same machinery is turning its sights on Russ McAlmond. Proxies from the very county where McAlmond lives have been activated to question his credibility. Social-media accounts aligned with party insiders spread doubts about the legitimacy of his campaign. They try to kick him off social media so that his message cannot get out to other Oregon Republicans. 

The goal is the same: discourage voters, sow confusion, and protect the preferred insider path. None of this should surprise anyone who has watched the Oregon Republican Party’s recent track record. Under establishment leadership, the party has presided over a steady decline in registered Republicans across the state.

Leadership changes have become almost routine, yet the same insular circle remains in control. Instead of focusing on outreach, message discipline, or growing the base, party operatives spend their energy behind the scenes—using county-level proxies to promote favorites and undermine anyone who threatens the status quo.

If you are not their hand-picked candidate, you become a target. That is exactly what is happening to Russ McAlmond today. McAlmond refuses to accept this cynical game. Like Ed Diehl, he is a fighter who will not back down. He has made it clear: he rejects the strategy of letting Salem insiders pre-select nominees through backroom pressure and proxy attacks.

He understands what is really driving these assaults. It is not ideology. It is money. In the “Salem swamp,” the Oregon Republican Party has increasingly operated on a simple calculus: back the candidate who can raise the most cash, not the one who stands most firmly on principle. When fundraising trumps conviction, attacks on credible conservatives become inevitable.

A small but vocal minority of party voices then floods social media and other platforms questioning the legitimacy of any challenger who refuses to bend the knee. This is precisely the treatment McAlmond is receiving right now. What the establishment fails to grasp is that Oregon Repubican voters are tired of politics as usual.

They are tired of watching the Republican Party shrink while the same insiders cling to influence. They are tired of seeing principled candidates—especially veterans who have literally risked everything for this country—smeared by people who have never worn the uniform or fought the battles McAlmond has fought.

Russ McAlmond’s campaign is not about personal ambition. It is about restoring integrity to the process and giving Oregon a senator who answers to the people of this state, not to donor lists or party bosses. Russ McAlmond has already proven he will not be intimidated. He will not be driven from the race by coordinated attacks or county-level proxies.

He will continue to campaign on the issues that matter most to Oregon families: securing the border, cutting wasteful spending, protecting Second Amendment rights, defending rural economies, and fighting back against the radical policies coming out of Washington, D.C. He does so as a veteran who understands sacrifice, not as a career politician chasing the next check.

The choice before Republican primary voters could not be clearer.

Do we allow the establishment—despite its record of declining registration and revolving-door leadership—to once again dictate the nominee through manipulation and money?

Or do we reject the “Salem swamp” mentality and stand with a fighter who puts principle over fundraising?

Marine veteran and principled conservative Russ McAlmond has chosen the latter path. He has chosen to fight for Oregon rather than appease the insiders. And just as he stood for this nation in uniform, he will stand unapologetically for conservative values in the United States Senate—if the voters of Oregon give him the opportunity.

The establishment can attack. They can whisper. They can mobilize proxies. But they cannot silence a veteran who refuses to quit. Oregon Republicans now have the chance to send a powerful message: this primary belongs to the voters, not the insiders. It is time to rally behind Russ McAlmond—the only veteran in the race, the principled fighter, and the candidate the establishment fears most.