Rep. Val Hoyle was first elected to the House in 2022, winning 51-43%, taking the seat of retiring Rep. Peter DeFazio. Following redistricting in 2022, this seat was made 11 points friendlier for Democrats and a Biden +13 district. Her district has more than 250 miles of Pacific coastline and includes Eugene and Corvallis, homes of the University of Oregon and Oregon State University.
Hoyle was favored in 2022, but still had a tough campaign against a former Afghanistan war veteran who won fame in 2015 subduing a shooter on a train to Paris. This year she will likely face lawyer and long-term Air Force veteran Monique DeSpain.
Despite her short time in Congress, Rep. Hoyle has already been active on Council issues, cosponsoring legislation and amendments last year that are in line with Council views.
Before entering politics, Rep. Hoyle attended Emmanuel College, with a major in political science and a concentration on international studies. She then worked 25 years in the international bicycling industry. Rep. Hoyle was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 2010 representing West Eugene and Junction City, and eventually served as Majority Leader. She was later elected statewide to serve as Oregon’s Labor Commissioner, a nonpartisan role leading Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries.
She serves on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the House Committee on Natural Resources. She is also a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
