Rep. Val Hoyle was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2022 and most recently received 51.8% of the vote in her 2024 race. The Council endorsed Rep. Hoyle in the 2024 cycle. Rep. Hoyle has two Democratic opponents in the May 19 primary elections, and her 2024 Republican opponent, Monique DeSpain, has filed to challenge again. Oregon has several major parties that will appear on the November ballot, including the Green Party and likely the Libertarian Party. In 2026, the Green Party candidate received over 4% of the vote and should not be ignored.
Rep. Hoyle has been active on Council issues in Congress despite not serving on the traditional national security and foreign policy committees. She cosponsored legislation to increase guardrails on the President’s ability to unilaterally launch nuclear weapons, prevent artificial intelligence from launching a nuclear strike without human guardrails, and oppose a return to explosive nuclear weapons testing.
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 the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. Her district is home to the cities of Eugene and Corvallis, four of Oregon’s nine federally recognized Indigenous tribes, and over 250 miles of Pacific coastline. The district also includes many state parks, federal forest lands, national wildlife refuges and wild scenic rivers.
In Congress, Rep. Hoyle serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure and Natural Resources Committees. She is also a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Congressional Labor Caucus, and the New Democratic Caucus, among others.
