Val Hoyle

Oregon Democrats pitch records, critique ICE, share legislative proposals in written interviews.

Incumbent Rep. Val Hoyle is being challenged for the democratic nomination by Melissa Bird and Daniel Bahlen.

Democrats in Oregon's 4th Congressional District will select their nominee May 19 in the first contested primary for the seat since Peter DeFazio's 2022 retirement.

Incumbent Rep. Val Hoyle has held the position since 2023 and previously had a long career in the state legislature. Hoyle listed among her accomplishments improved constituent services and securing federal funding for projects in the district through bipartisan legislation.

"In Congress, I’ve focused on delivering practical solutions like securing investments in infrastructure, working to protect and expand health care access in both the urban and rural parts of the district and supporting policies that create good-paying jobs and apprenticeships while safeguarding Oregon’s environment," she said.

Melissa Bird, an activist, former social worker and small business owner challenging Hoyle, argues Hoyle's long political career is a liability.

"Professional politicians are out of touch with what people in our communities are facing on the ground. We need advocates, champions and fighters in Congress," she said. "A true democracy that is representative of all people should stop punishing the poor, while creating economic opportunities that benefit all our communities."

Daniel Bahlen, an unhoused Eugene resident and Libertarian nominee for the seat in 2024, is running as a Democrat in 2026. Bahlen received the same questions as the other candidates, but did not respond in time for publication.

Oregon's 4th Congressional District covers Lane, Benton, Lincoln, Coos and Curry counties and the western portion of Douglas County.

Melissa Bird

Age: 51

Current job: Self-employed

City or unincorporated community where you live: Corvallis

Relevant experience: 25 years as a community activist, former lobbyist for Planned Parenthood of Utah, social justice advocacy and policy professor.

Campaign website: melissabirdforcongress.com

Campaign Facebook: facebook.com/melissabirdforcongress

Campaign Instagram: instagram.com/melissabirdforcongress

Campaign TikTok: tiktok.com/@bird4congress

Campaign Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/bird4congress.bsky.social

Bird said she is running for Congress because "we need more people in leadership positions who are directly impacted by the decisions being made at the Congressional level."

Bird said she would bring her experiences as a social worker, working mom and wife of a disabled veteran to Congress, and she would be different from "out-of-touch" "professional politicians."

Bird said the top issue facing the 4th Congressional District is the economy, which has manifested as high housing costs, food insecurity and limited access to healthcare.

Bird said she would address these issues by pushing to increase taxes on billionaires and corporations and adjusting the federal poverty line so safety net programs reflect "what people are actually experiencing in our current economy."

Val Hoyle

Age: 62

Current job: Congressional representative

City or unincorporated community where you live: East Lane County, Springfield

Relevant experience: Congressional representative, labor commissioner, state representative and House Majority Leader, Democratic Party of Lane County chair, Export Council of Oregon member/chair, Burley Design LLC international sales manager; McCornack Elementary PTO president/treasurer, Kidsports coach

Campaign website: www.valhoyle.com

Campaign Instagram: instagram.com/valhoyle (@valhoyle)

Campaign Facebook: facebook.com/ValHoyleForCongress

Campaign X: x.com/ValHoyle (@valhoyle)

Hoyle is running for a third term in Congress to be there at "a moment when working people need a strong, effective advocate."

Hoyle said she's built experience and relationships in the House, helped constituents navigate federal agencies, secured investments to southwest Oregon, and simultaneously pursued bipartisan legislation while standing up to the Trump administration.

Hoyle said the top challenge facing Oregon's 4th Congressional District is the cost of living, which Congress can address by expanding access to family-wage jobs, healthcare, affordable housing and preserving "the natural resources that drive our economy."

Hoyle said she has secured money for infrastructure in the district, expanded healthcare access, and supported policies to create good-paying jobs and apprenticeships and safeguard Oregon's environment.

The federal government has eyed, and subsequently backed down from, building U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers in Lincoln and Coos counties. Do you support the development of an ICE detention center in Oregon? As a congressperson, what would you do to assist with, or stand in the way of, such a development?

Bird: I have protested ICE with community members in Eugene and Newport. I stand in adamant opposition to ICE being present in any of our communities. As a congressperson, I would vote to abolish ICE and create a path forward for citizenship that is accessible and doesn't take decades to finish. I have attended community awareness trainings in our community and believe deeply in honoring our immigrant neighbors, family and friends as part of the fabric of our neighborhoods and economy.

Hoyle: I do not support building an ICE detention center in Oregon. These facilities raise serious concerns about due process, transparency and reports of human rights abuses. They do not reflect the values of our communities and raise significant constitutional issues.

In Congress, I’ve worked with (Sens.) Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley to push back on these proposals, making clear to the Department of Homeland Security that Oregon communities do not want or need an ICE facility.

I will continue working with local leaders to oppose future efforts to build detention centers on the Oregon coast, while advocating for humane, accountable immigration policies that respect civil rights, keep families together and ensure border security. People caught in a broken immigration system — especially families and children — should not be treated like dangerous criminals. We must do better.

Last year, Congress passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which combined tax cuts with cuts to healthcare and food programs. If you had been in Congress at the time, how would you have voted on the BBB? Would you have advocated for any changes?

Bird: I would have voted against the BBB. As someone whose family has been on food stamps in the past and who has used Medicaid for our healthcare, this bill affects not just us but everyone but the most wealthy in this district. The bill is fiscally irresponsible, adds to the national deficit, and provides significant tax breaks for the wealthy. These decisions have caused many in CD4 to experience homelessness, caused financial strain for our elders, and have devastated the livelihoods of people throughout the district. The impacts on our small and rural communities have been catastrophic, especially for our housing, food and healthcare systems.

Hoyle: I voted no on H.R. 1, the Republican budget bill. It added nearly $4 trillion to the deficit while cutting programs that families in our district rely on — especially healthcare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act and support for food assistance.

I opposed this bill because it prioritized massive tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and paid for them by making unconscionable cuts to investments and a social safety net that working people, seniors, veterans and our communities rely on.

I support a more balanced approach — lowering costs for working families, protecting access to healthcare and making responsible investments in our communities without adding to the deficit in ways that hurt those who can least afford it. We should address waste, fraud and abuse in government but that does not mean gutting the programs, investments and earned benefits that make our communities better.

The BBB also included a one-year measure barring clinics that provide abortions, such as Planned Parenthood, from accepting Medicaid for their other reproductive services. Do you believe Congress should extend that provision?

Bird: Absolutely not. As the former lobbyist for Planned Parenthood of Utah, and a former patient of the clinics, I would never support any measure that restricts access for reproductive healthcare. In a district like CD4, where reproductive healthcare services are already limited, Congress should be doing everything it can to expand Medicaid services for all types of healthcare, including reproductive health.

Hoyle: No, I do not support extending that provision. Blocking providers like Planned Parenthood from accepting Medicaid doesn’t just restrict abortion as the majority of care that Planned Parenthood provides are essential health services like cancer screenings, birth control, STI testing and preventive care for thousands of patients.

These policies have real consequences. Across the country, we’re seeing delayed care, overwhelmed providers and worse health outcomes, especially for low-income patients and those in rural communities who already have limited options.

I believe reproductive healthcare is healthcare and decisions about that care should be made by patients and their providers and not politicians. I will continue to oppose efforts that restrict access to care and instead support policies that expand affordable, comprehensive health services so people can make their own decisions about their health and their futures.

The cost of childcare is rising across the United States. What specific policy changes would you pursue in Congress to address this? Does fixing childcare require a major new investment in taxpayer dollars?

Bird: As a former preschool teacher, who had to leave my job I loved because the pay was so low, we must invest taxpayer dollars in paying preschool teachers a wage that they can live on, in addition to providing high quality childcare education for all children. How we treat our children and those that educate them is a direct reflection of our society as a whole. Not investing in the children who will one day take care of us is unconscionable. Investments in education create a healthy and robust democracy, and that starts with investing in the youngest minds and the people who teach them.

Hoyle: When our children were young, my husband and I worked opposite shifts because our two jobs couldn’t cover more than 10 hours of childcare each week. That’s still the reality for too many families. Across Oregon, most counties remain childcare deserts, leaving parents without safe, affordable options.

I’m a cosponsor of the Child Care for Every Community Act, which would cap costs at 7% of household income, and the Child Care for Working Families Act to lower costs and ensure providers earn a living wage.

We need a far stronger national commitment to childcare. There’s no better investment than supporting our next generation. I’m also working to deliver locally by securing funding to expand childcare access in both urban and rural communities across my district.

The Bureau of Land Management has proposed increasing logging in western Oregon to 1980s levels. Do you agree with this direction? As a congressperson, what would you do to help facilitate, or stand in the way of, increased logging?

Bird: According to Oregon Wild, “Conserving our remaining older forests and trees on federal public lands is one of the country’s most straightforward, impactful and cost-effective climate solutions. Oregon Wild is fighting for a strong, lasting national rule that protects mature and old growth forests from logging across federal lands as a cornerstone of US climate policy.” I stand in full agreement that we must protect our forests in order to preserve our ecosystem.

We must protect our watersheds, restore our wetlands, address the complex needs of our coastal fisheries and work in partnership with the land and its waters. Further, as a member of Congress, I will work with tribal groups such as the Tribal Climate Change Project at the University of Oregon, the PNW Tribal Climate Change Network, and tribal governments to make sure that Oregon’s Indigenous voices are represented in climate change policy.

Hoyle: We don’t need to relive the timber wars in Oregon. We can protect forests, environment, wildlife and reduce wildfire risk at the same time. Returning to 1980s logging levels is irresponsible, and I oppose it. It’s also unrealistic given hard won protections for old growth, limited BLM staffing and mills no longer equipped to process old growth timber.

With hotter, drier conditions driven by climate change, a legacy of fire suppression and past management challenges, we need a new approach that restores ecosystems, protects watersheds, habitat and reduces wildfire risk rather than repeating outdated practices.

In Congress, I support sustainable logging, wildfire mitigation and reauthorizing the Secure Rural Schools Act. I’m leading efforts to expand tribal comanagement of federal forests, advancing long-term stewardship grounded in Indigenous practices.

The path forward is collaboration — bringing together tribes, conservationists, counties, first responders and the timber industry to protect forests and sustain rural communities.

Bird had tax lien, Bahlen pleaded guilty to DUI in Florida

The Register-Guard ran background checks on candidates in contested races ahead of the 2026 election.

Bahlen was charged with driving under the influence in 2022 and domestic violence in 2023, both in Florida. According to a search of the court records, Bahlen pled guilty to DUI. The domestic violence charge is sealed, so the Register-Guard could not view its outcome.

Bird's report found she was served a $62,358 federal tax lien in 2019.

Bird said as a small business owner she has "been nickeled and dimed by a tax system that goes after working people and small business owners disproportionately, instead of making the ultra wealthy and corporations pay their fair share."

Bird said in 2019, her husband was in college on the GI Bill and she was running a household and a business while raising three children. The couple couldn't pay their tax bill and entered into a payment plan with the IRS.

Hoyle led BOLI before scathing audit

Complicating Hoyle's reelection campaign is a 2025 audit of the Bureau of Labor and Industries, which was critical of the agency's management from 2018 to 2025. Hoyle directed the agency from 2019 to 2022.

The report concluded during that time:

"Management decisions reflect(ed) poor planning and strategic neglect."

BOLI failed to maintain internal policies and procedures and had high leadership turnover, damaging agency performance.

BOLI weakened labor and civil rights law enforcement.

Hoyle said the problems identified in the audit predated her tenure as BOLI commissioner and were primarily the result of low funding.

"We rolled up our sleeves and made progress in several areas," she said. "Both labor and business supported our work to make the agency more responsive and fair. I am confident we left the agency better than I found it."

Campaign finance

Hoyle's re-election campaign has raised $998,728 according to Federal Election Committee data through March.

The following donors gave Hoyle at least $10,000:

$82,659 raised through ActBlue, a fundraising platform that supports Democrats.

Florence Barnhart, $10,500.

Phil Barnhart, $10,500.

International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, $10,000.

International Association of Firefighters, $10,000.

Airline Pilots Association, $10,000.

United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, $10,000.

Bird has raised $54,356. Her largest donor is Douglas Hamp who gave $3,500.

Bahlen has not filed with the FEC. Candidates are not required to file if they raise less than $5,000.