Val Hoyle

The race to represent Oregonians living in a congressional district centered in Eugene and stretching along the state’s central and southern coast will be a rematch of 2024.

U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle, a Lane County Democrat representing Oregon’s 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House, easily fended off her Democratic challengers in Tuesday’s primary election, garnering 77% of the votes tallied as of Wednesday.

Melissa Bird, a small business owner from Corvallis, received 20%, and Daniel Bahlen, a Eugene resident and former behavioral health professional, netted 3%.

Hoyle’s primary win means that once again, she’ll face Republican candidate Monique DeSpain in November.

In the 2024 general election, Hoyle defeated DeSpain, an Air Force veteran and attorney, by nearly 8 percentage points, given the district’s Democratic tilt.

But DeSpain said she refuses to give up on the people in the district. She overwhelming won the district’s 2026 Republican primary with 87% of the votes tallied as of Wednesday, beating Stefan Strek, a Southern Oregon University student who has run unsuccessfully for governor and Congress in past elections.

Hoyle is a former state lawmaker of eight years and led the state’s Bureau of Labor and Industries from 2019 to 2023. She is in her second congressional term, and if elected again, said she’d use her relationships across the district and political spectrum to serve as a liaison between constituents and federal agencies. Hoyle said she supports bipartisan legislation and investments that help the district, as well as fighting back against unconstitutional attacks from the Trump administration.

Hoyle had nearly $493,000 in her campaign account, according to federal records as of late April.

DeSpain has never held elected office, but she worked for several years for one of the state’s most prominent Republicans, state Rep. Kevin Mannix of Salem. She spent much of her time in the military as an attorney with the Judge Advocate General’s Corps.

If elected, DeSpain said she’d prioritize public safety by addressing the fentanyl crisis and supporting border security, as well as supporting small businesses and making Oregon more affordable. She also supports stewarding Oregon’s natural resources to create jobs and support forest management, as well as accountability with tax dollars.

DeSpain had about $247,000 left in her campaign account as of late April.