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The 4th Congressional District hasn’t had a Republican candidate win since the 1970s. Monique DeSpain wants to change that trend as she faces U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle.
U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle is running for another term in Congress, facing attorney Monique DeSpain on the Republican ticket.
Hoyle, a Democratic member of Congress, and DeSpain, a retired Air Force colonel, have been down this path before. The two faced off in 2024, when Hoyle ran for reelection. In 2026, the three-way race includes Justin Filip, a candidate with the Pacific Green Party.
The 4th Congressional District includes Benton, Coos, Curry, Lane and Lincoln counties, as well as the northern part of Douglas County. The district stretches from the California border to north of Lincoln City along more than 250 miles of coastline.
The district is a diverse mix of urban and rural regions, though its voters have reliably sent Democratic candidates to Washington since the 1970s.
The last Republican to hold the seat was the late John Dellenback of Medford, who served from 1967 to 1975. Before Hoyle’s 2022 election, Democrat Peter DeFazio represented the district from 1987 until retiring, winning every election from 1986 to 2020.
Hoyle won a second term in the 2024 general election with nearly 52% of the vote; DeSpain garnered 44%.
Here’s what they said.
Monique DeSpain
An attorney, DeSpain served as an officer in the Air Force and Air National Guard before retiring from the military. DeSpain has lived in Eugene since 2002 and previously lived in Singapore and Salem, where she attended law school at Willamette University.
She was an attorney in the military with top-secret clearance. As a civilian, she has worked for the firm of Republican state Rep. Kevin Mannix.
That Salem-based firm was involved in a lawsuit against former Oregon Gov. Kate Brown in 2022 on behalf of two district attorneys and crime victims opposed to mass commutations of offenders’ prison sentences during the COVID-19 pandemic. DeSpain assisted with that case and also was the executive director of Common Sense for Oregon, a public policy organization that advocates for government reforms.
DeSpain said her legal work and advocacy for people make her a natural for the job.
“I have never aspired to politics, but we have a real need in Oregon, and I have the skills and the passion for our state,” DeSpain said. “I love our state, and so I’m making myself available to represent the people of Oregon and be their voice. That’s the kind of work I’ve done as a lawyer for decades. I have represented people, so it’s really a perfect fit.”
DeSpain said if elected, she would work to increase accountability for federal dollars and how they’re spent, including services and programs intended to help the homeless.
“We owe accountability to the taxpayers,” DeSpain said. “We are compassionate people. We want to help these people who are struggling with addiction and mental illness, or just finding housing. And there’s tons of money coming into the state to do that, but all the problems are not being solved.”
DeSpain said it’s critical the programs paid to help people produce results, which “means getting people back on track.”
DeSpain’s immigration policies include strong border security that uses “physical barriers,” sensors and drones, with a focus on deporting people with criminal records. She also supports one-time opportunities to provide “lawful status” to undocumented residents who have lived in the United States for a long time, pass background checks, register and are law-abiding.
DeSpain said she does not want to ban abortion or gay marriage.
Asked about the difference between this election and 2024, DeSpain said it takes time to build name recognition.
“What’s different from last time? I really came out of the gate,” DeSpain said. “I’m just a regular person who has never aspired to politics. Nobody was running that could take out Val Hoyle. And when you’re not a career politician, it takes a long time to raise your name ID.”
Val Hoyle
Hoyle worked in retail management, manufacturing and distribution in the international bicycling industry before winning her first election in 2010 to a state House seat representing west Eugene and Junction City.
She was elected Oregon’s nonpartisan labor commissioner in 2018 and elected to Congress in 2022.
Hoyle said her priorities include advocating for more funding to build an “innovation corridor” that stretches from the University of Oregon to Oregon State University, one that resembles the research triangle in North Carolina.
“I think that that will really help our economy and it will attract businesses here,” Hoyle said.
Hoyle said she also wants to see more housing and workforce development in the district. On a regional level, Hoyle is advocating for funding for the Port of Coos Bay Intermodal Project, which would ship freight directly by rail from ships arriving in the port.
Hoyle said the project is complex but has excellent long-term economic prospects.
“There’s certainly concerns about it, but to build and invest in our supply chain, coming from international trade, manufacturing, distribution, I think is smart,” Hoyle said. “We need to have resilience in our supply chain.”
As a Democratic lawmaker, Hoyle is a minority member of the House of Representatives and a frequent critic of President Donald Trump’s actions.
Along the way, Hoyle supported the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, which became law in July without Trump’s signature after passing the House and Senate. The act aims to limit investors who scoop up housing stock, limiting options for first-time homebuyers and it provides more funding for infrastructure like water and sewer systems. The act includes language from Hoyle and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, that she said strengthens rental assistance provisions for low-income families.
Hoyle said that’s an example of how Congress can help issues on a broad level. At the same time, individual communities like Eugene and Roseburg will have different ways of addressing challenges like homelessness.
“I just passed and was a part of negotiating the most transformative housing bill in two decades in a bipartisan way,” Hoyle said. “That’s not small, and I’m really proud of that.”
Hoyle said she works to build a consensus through relationships, but not at the cost of compromising on her values.
“When you have relationships, you can work through differences, and you can still come to the other side and champion what’s just and right together,” Hoyle said.
Hoyle reported $1.2 million in campaign contributions between January 2025 and June 30, 2026, campaign filings show. She had $520,839 cash on hand at the end of June.
DeSpain has received $677,570 since October 2025 and reported $387,694 cash on hand at the end of June, according to campaign filings.
The next quarterly report for July through September is due Oct. 15.
Justin Filip
Filip, a Eugene resident, is running on the Pacific Green Party ticket. That party is affiliated with the Green Party, which put Ralph Nader on the presidential ballot in 1996 and 2000.
Filip declined an interview request from Lookout Eugene-Springfield.
On his website, Filip says his platform includes foreign policy focused on diplomacy and protecting human rights that ends “continuous wars, U.S. interventionism, and the imposition of unilateral sanctions.”
He also advocates for a minimum wage of $25 an hour and reduced taxes for families earning less than $75,000 annually.
He calls for cutting the military budget by 50% to 75% and putting that money toward climate resilience and community investment.
Filip says his occupational background includes working as a guest teacher, program manager and baseball coach. He reported earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Oregon.
Val Hoyle
Age: 62
Party: Democratic
Residence: Lane County
Education: Attended Bunker Hill Community College and Emanuel College, graduating in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in political science, concentrating in international studies.
Occupation: U.S. Representative
Prior elected experience: First elected in 2010 as a state representative in the Oregon Legislature and served several terms. Elected as Oregon labor commissioner in 2018.
Family status: Married, two adult children
Monique DeSpain
Age: 62
Party: Republican
Residence: Eugene
Education: Bachelor’s degree in psychology, University of Utah, 1986; master’s degree in administration, Central Michigan University, 1993; doctoral law degree, Willamette University College of Law, 1998.
Occupation: Attorney, retired Air Force colonel
Prior elected experience: None
Family status: Two sons
