QuickTake:

State Rep. Darin Harbick is running for reelection to his state House seat representing the rural upper McKenzie region. His Democratic opponent is not actively campaigning. 

Rep. Darin Harbick is running for a second term in the Oregon Legislature and is expected to win reelection in a reliably Republican House district.

Harbick, a Republican who represents eastern Lane County, is a business owner in the upper McKenzie valley. He was elected to his first term in 2024 after mounting a successful primary challenge against incumbent Republican Charlie Conrad, who ran earlier this year to reclaim his seat as an Independent Party candidate. 

Harbick is running against Amber Smith, a Democrat from Cottage Grove who filed to run but isn’t actively campaigning, making appearances or raising money. There’s no record of Smith serving in prior elected office or having any public connections to the Democratic Party besides her voter registration records.

Harbick, who couldn’t be reached for an interview, touts conservative Republican values on his campaign website, including Second Amendment rights for “law-abiding gun owners,” including the right to purchase, own and use firearms for recreation and self-defense. 

He also promises to hold criminal offenders accountable, saying they should “serve a sentence that makes restitution for their victims.”

With his wife, Kail, Harbick owns a residential treatment home, called Ark77 Recovery Center, in Rainbow, that treats people with mental illness, primarily schizophrenia. In his statement of priorities, Harbick said he supports changes to the law that ensure access to treatment for people in need.

Harbick’s career as an entrepreneur is varied, a point he makes to voters. In 1991, he purchased Phil’s Phine Phoods, an upper McKenzie valley business. Later, he built and owned Harbick’s Country Store for 20 years. Afterward, he built Takoda’s Restaurant, which he sold to his daughter and her husband in 2023, according to his legislative website. 

He also owned a logging and dump truck company, Harbick’s Inc., which he sold in 2024 to his son. 

For Amber Smith, his opponent, little public information is available. Smith didn’t respond to calls, texts and emails seeking comment. 

In her candidate statement, Smith identifies herself as a service coordinator, without disclosing her place of employment. Smith lists no prior employment or appointed or elected government service.

Smith graduated from North Eugene High School, according to her campaign filings. 

Smith doesn’t report any campaign donations or expenditures.

Harbick reported contributions of $50,200 to his campaign in 2026, with $11,887 cash on hand. 

Ben Botkin covers politics and policy in Lane County. He has worked as a journalist since 2003, most recently at the Oregon Capital Chronicle, where he covered justice, health and human services and documented regional efforts to combat fentanyl addiction. Botkin has worked in statehouses in Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma and, of course, Oregon. When he's not working, you'll find him road tripping across the West, hiking or surfing along the Oregon Coast.