GOP Rep. John Doolittle said Friday he will no longer employ his wife as his campaign fundraiser, a practice that had drawn criticism because it allowed his household to benefit directly from donors.

Instead Doolittle said he will hire an outside fundraiser. He made the announcement in an op-ed piece he distributed to newspapers in his far northern California district.

The change was one of 10 steps he said he would take to re-establish confidence in his district after an election that he narrowly won amid ethics questions about his wife's fundraising and his own ties to convicted GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff.