Val Hoyle, the incumbent and a Democrat, was ahead in the rematch race to represent the 4th Congressional District, according to preliminary results Tuesday evening. She was challenged for a second time by Republican Monique DeSpain and Pacific Green Party Candidate Justin Filip.
On election night, Hoyle led with 54% share of votes, according to the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office. DeSpain is in second with 43% of votes. Filip was in a distant third with 3%.
Hoyle has served two terms in Congress in the minority party, winning the seat in 2022 after long-time Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio retired. She previously was Oregon’s Labor Commissioner and a state lawmaker. Before that, she worked in the bicycle industry.
DeSpain had a 30-year career in the U.S. Air Force, retiring at the rank of Colonel. She served as a military lawyer and has practiced in the private sector for Common Sense Oregon alongside state lawmaker Kevin Mannix.
The 4th Congressional District is a seat that was seen as a tossup in previous elections, but was labeled by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report as solidly Democrat this cycle.
On the campaign trail Hoyle pointed to polling that showed Democrats were likely to retake the House this election. She said if she wins reelection, she hoped to roll back healthcare and social safety net cuts in H.R 1, the spending bill Congressional Republicans passed last year.
She also said she supported immigration reform and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE, arguing it had become President Donald Trump’s personal police force.
DeSpain said she was focused on homelessness, public safety and immigration reform. She argued housing and other programs to help those struggling with addiction and mental illness needed more oversight to ensure they are effective and working as intended.
Both candidates also attacked their opponents over the course of the campaign, with DeSpain in interviews and ads repeatedly calling Hoyle corrupt, and a career politician. She pointed to LaMota, a scandal-plagued cannabis company that previously donated to many prominent Democrats, including Hoyle when she was labor commissioner, and Hoyle’s congressional stock trading disclosure violation last year.
During the campaign, Hoyle argued DeSpain’s attacks were an attempt to distract voters from her policies and lack of political experience. She also argued a vote for DeSpain was a vote for Trump, arguing her opponent would not push back against the Iran War, and other administration initiatives.
Filip, the Pacific Green Party candidate, said during the race that he was concerned about the criminalization of homelessness and argued Hoyle, as well as local governments, should be doing more for the district’s most vulnerable residents.
