No reasonable person can deny the damage done by President Biden’s reckless open-border policies—policies fully supported by my opponent, Congresswoman Val Hoyle. Although the border has finally been secured, the consequences of their decisions remain with us. Millions of people entered our country illegally during that period, and they are now present in our communities, living with uncertainty. The burden of the Biden policies falls squarely on hardworking American citizens who are paying the price through higher costs for housing, healthcare, and basic services.
For decades, America has spent vast amounts of blood and treasure defending the borders of other nations. Securing our own is common sense and a matter of duty. When a nation fails to control its borders, national security collapses, criminal networks thrive, and humanitarian crises inevitably follow. We saw that firsthand under Biden and Hoyle—and we must never allow this type of national assault to happen again. No representative who votes to promote or allow it should remain in office.
As your Congresswoman, national security will remain my top priority. I will work across the aisle to ensure the border stays secure—using an “all of the above” approach that includes physical barriers, cutting-edge technologies to include sensors and drones, robust cybersecurity, and an expanded Border Patrol empowered to enforce the law.
I support confronting drug and human trafficking cartels as the foreign terrorist organizations they are, using every available federal law enforcement and intelligence tool to dismantle their operations and end their exploitation of immigrants and entire communities. This cartel web of terror is in our 4th District, and I will not ignore the problem as Rep Hoyle does.
Meanwhile, law-abiding immigrants have suffered for too long under our broken, plodding, and expensive immigration system. True reform is long overdue. I will work to streamline our immigration process, fix asylum loopholes, permanently end catch-and-release, and support successful policies like “Remain in Mexico” measures to ensure the swift removal of criminals and gang members.
In keeping with my promise to deliver transparency and accountability in government, I will continue to call out Congresswoman Hoyle for harmful votes that hurt working Oregonians and all Americans—just as I did when she voted in 2024 to allow illegal encampments in our national parks and forests. That vote was a clear betrayal of taxpayers and working American families, including unemployed and distressed Americans as well. We must end the Biden-era crisis, not accommodate it with subsidies and lawlessness, as promoted by Congresswoman Hoyle.
RELEVANT PRESS RELEASES:
Monique DeSpain Condemns Hoyle’s Vote Against Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act
Monique DeSpain Skewers Val Hoyle for Desperate Border Letter to Biden and Her Census Vote
DeSpain Scorches Val Hoyle for Vote Against Holding Criminal Illegal Immigrants Accountable
DeSpain Slams Incumbent Val Hoyle for Rubber Stamping Biden Border Disaster
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
American Sheriff Alliance Immigration and Border Security Priorities and Positions Sept 2024
National Sheriffs Association Opposes Senate Border Bill 02-06-2024
I am keenly aware of what it means to take the oath to defend our great nation and of the many sacrifices made by those who serve, and their families. I am proud to have served our country, alongside my brothers and sisters in uniform, for over 30 years in the U.S. Air Force and the Oregon National Guard. I will never forget or neglect our beloved veterans.
Every day, there are veterans in our country struggling to navigate a bureaucratic VA system just to schedule a medical appointment or ensure their benefits arrive on time. Tragically, many veterans face housing obstacles as well. Every day that I am in Congress, I will fight to remove obstacles and ensure our veteran benefits are protected and that veterans receive the care and attention they have earned. Back home in Oregon, I will have a veteran on my congressional staff who is dedicated 100 percent to working with me to serve all of my veteran constituents, including our forgotten homeless veterans.
As your Congresswoman, I will continue to stand up and fight for our current service members and veterans, and I will ensure we preserve their incredible legacies.
RELEVANT PRESS RELEASES:
National security, safe communities, and safe workplaces are a fundamental, non-negotiable function of government. No communities are safe without adequate law enforcement. We are a nation of laws, and laws are only effective when enforced. I support the rule of law and the men and women of law enforcement and other emergency responders. It is my goal to ensure they have the necessary authority and resources to do their job effectively, from Customs and Border Patrol to our local sheriffs, police, and district attorneys. Public officials who refuse to enforce our laws and hold criminals accountable must be held accountable themselves and swiftly replaced with officials who will. I will not support federal funding for soft-on-crime cities or cities that defund the police and leave Americans vulnerable.
Almost every family I know has been touched by the tragedy of substance abuse. In 2023, over 100,000 Americans were killed by either a one-time fentanyl poisoning or fentanyl addiction. I refuse to accept this as America’s new ‘normal.’ To ensure safe neighborhoods in Congressional District 4, we must secure our nation’s border and stop the relentless flow of fentanyl, P2P methamphetamines, and other deadly drugs into Oregon. By ending cartel control of our borders and preventing criminals from illegally entering our cities and other communities, we will stop the delivery and distribution of deadly drugs, human trafficking, and other abhorrent cartel activity that is fueling addiction, homelessness, and the crime wave overwhelming our communities. It’s common sense.
RELEVANT PRESS RELEASES:
Monique DeSpain Launches TV Ad in the OR-04 Congressional Race Focused on Public Safety
Monique DeSpain for Congress Announces Law Enforcement Endorsements in Race for OR-04
Monique DeSpain Condemns Hoyle’s Vote Against Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act
DeSpain Scorches Val Hoyle for Vote Against Holding Criminal Illegal Immigrants Accountable
Guest Column: Why don’t we have a safe and prosperous Oregon?
There is no doubt that we are in a housing crisis in Oregon and across the entire nation. However, there is no one solution, no single “Housing First” model that will solve the spectrum of housing needs. The addicted and mentally ill homeless we all see in our city streets, parks, and other public spaces will not be saved by keys to a new home, condo, or apartment provided by taxpaying Americans. Common sense dictates that our policies must have the objective of reining in and healing drug addiction and mental illness that leads to homelessness. One obvious step in the right direction is the prompt re-criminalization of hard drug use, prohibiting drug use in public spaces, and criminalizing all forms of drug trafficking.
The current agenda of our elected officials in power and of many nonprofits ‘serving’ the homeless addicted is gravely inhumane and lacking compassion. We as a people should do all we can to lift our citizens out of the prison of addiction and mental illness - and law enforcement often must be a part of that healing process. All people have value and need hope and purpose to thrive. Recovery from addiction and illness is the only path to independent living and independent housing, and all programs in the homelessness, addiction, and mental health space must make recovery their mission and reject the current enablement programs.
We cannot continue to fund state and local governments that have decriminalized the use of drugs and hobbled law enforcement. Current policy has further deepened the growing dependent class in Oregon and throughout the country. We must take a balanced approach to funding programs that rehabilitate individuals and motivate them to reject the endless cycle of addiction, mental illness, and the resultant homelessness.
RELEVANT PRESS RELEASES:
Guest Column: Why don’t we have a safe and prosperous Oregon?
To truly address and resolve the affordable housing crisis, we must address the skyrocketing cost of living caused by extreme policies coming from Salem and Washington, D.C. At the same time, we must increase housing availability and affordability. I support ending prohibitive and inflationary policies that stifle new construction with excessive permitting costs, building regulations, city and county codes, bureaucratic red tape, and outdated land-use restrictions imposed by the government itself. Do you know that the entire population of Oregon lives on approximately 7 percent of our State? These government-imposed restrictions, coupled with runaway inflation and interest rates, are pricing most working people out of the American Dream of home ownership. I want to be part of the common sense conservative majority in Congress that ensures the federal government does its part to lift housing restrictions.
Oregon’s natural-resource industries are the backbone of prosperity and livability in Oregon’s Congressional District 4. After decades of empty promises from career politicians, our timber communities and coastal residents deserve a strong, pragmatic advocate in Congress.
As your Congresswoman, I will champion responsible forest management grounded in co-stewardship with tribal nations, sustainable timber harvests, and proactive removal of fuel loads that drive catastrophic wildfires. The federal government must either step up or step aside: The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management should be required to rapidly suppress fires or immediately authorize state, local, and private entities ready to protect our forests and communities.
I will cut the bureaucratic red tape and impractical restrictions harming our farmers and ranchers. I believe in independence, innovation, and the right to thrive. I will defend a resilient “Made in America” food supply and safeguard farmers’ ability to farm and provide affordable, healthy choices for consumers.
I will also work relentlessly to remove federal barriers blocking development of the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay—an untapped economic engine with the potential to serve the entire Pacific. Strengthening our coastal communities means investing in durable infrastructure, addressing housing and childcare shortages, and attracting the skilled workforce needed to power long-term growth.
RELEVANT PRESS RELEASES:
Monique DeSpain Endorsed By Citizens for Sensible Forest Management (CSFM)
Our government-run education system is failing our children, and Oregon ranks among the worst government education programs in America. Yet more money is being spent and extracted from taxpayers every year, only to produce steadily declining education results with our kids. Students are increasingly failing to meet minimum proficiency in reading, writing, and math. This shortfall imposes significant costs on families and employers and leaves young people unprepared for productive, independent lives.
As a single working mother whose children went through public 4J schools in Eugene, I know the strain and expense on families who step up to fill the gaps left by our government school system.
We must return parents, teachers, and local education partners to the center of decision-making. As your Congresswoman, I will support a Parents’ Bill of Rights to ensure real transparency and accountability: full access to curricula, clear reporting on school performance, and genuine school choice. Parents deserve a primary, active role in their children’s education—not a one-size-fits-all system dictated by distant bureaucrats.
My goal in Congress is to help restore the American Dream for working families. A strong, growing middle class is essential—and today it is struggling and shrinking. As your Congresswoman, I will champion sustainable private-sector job creation, especially for small and medium-sized businesses and the skilled trades. I will support policies that rebuild American manufacturing, lower the cost of goods, and improve affordability so Americans can live and work with pride and dignity.
Prosperity requires government to get out of the way. We must cut excessive regulations, fix broken permitting systems, and reduce punitive taxation so Americans can keep more of what they earn and reinvest in their communities.
Crime is also driving up costs for law-abiding families. I support directing federal resources toward dramatically reducing property crime and theft that raise prices, inflate insurance costs, and force businesses to close. Inflation continues to crush family budgets and hit seniors on fixed incomes the hardest. This is not the future we want for our children or grandchildren.
In Congress, I will fight to end reckless, wasteful tax-and-spend policies coming out of Washington that fuel inflation, undermine affordability, increase the national debt, and place the American Dream out of reach for too many.
RELEVANT PRESS RELEASES:
DeSpain Calls Out Extreme U.S. Rep Hoyle’s Vote Refusing to Denounce the Horrors of Socialism
Monique DeSpain Endorsed By Citizens for Sensible Forest Management (CSFM)
Monique DeSpain Endorsed By National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB)
Monique DeSpain Announces Opposition to Inflationary, Economically Destructive Measure 118
Monique DeSpain Scorches Val Hoyle Over No Vote To Fix Oregon’s Forests
Monique DeSpain Says Val Hoyle’s Failure to Oppose BOEM Wind Farm Leases Stunning
Guest Column: Why don’t we have a safe and prosperous Oregon?
The storms and wildfires in our District have made one thing clear: energy is civilization, and it is a critical national and local security issue. As your Congresswoman, I will oppose ongoing attacks on Americans’ freedom to choose their energy sources. The first-world nation we currently enjoy must continue to ensure access to an array of reliable and affordable energy options without the threat of arbitrary government bans, penalties, or prohibitive taxes.
Consumers and businesses—not distant bureaucrats—should decide when and how to adopt alternative energy options, free from prohibitive costs or forced transitions. To deliver on this, the government should pursue an “all of the above” energy strategy that strives to develop scientifically based, cleaner energy choices, protects our energy infrastructure, and ends reliance on sources of energy from hostile and unreliable nations.
RELEVANT PRESS RELEASES:
See Monique’s Position on the Fix Our Forests Act
Monique DeSpain Says Val Hoyle’s Failure to Oppose BOEM Wind Farm Leases Stunning
Monique speaks out on proposal to prohibit natural gas in new homes
Elected representatives of the American people have a legal and moral obligation to make all of their business of government, the business of the people, transparent and accountable to the people they serve. When elected, I commit to sharing all of my votes and reasons behind them for all the public to see. I will ask the tough questions in relentless pursuit of truthful, factual answers, followed by prompt and deliberate action. I will apply my experienced investigative eye and knowledge of the law to expose wasteful spending. Much like my work as a military and private sector lawyer, I will fight to eliminate discrimination, corruption, and cronyism, expose conflicts of interest, and bring an end to the careers of pay-to-play career politicians, starting with our corrupt Congresswoman Val Hoyle.
RELEVANT PRESS RELEASES:
Monique DeSpain Calls on Val Hoyle to Resign Over Damning Text Messages with La Mota CEO
Monique DeSpain Applauds News that Feds Expand Investigation into Hoyle’s BOLI Grant to La Mota
DeSpain Blasts Hoyle for Gross Neglect, Failed Leadership in 2nd BOLI Racial Discrimination Claim
As a retired Air Force Colonel with 30 years of service and a top-secret security clearance, I understand the stakes of America’s national security. Protecting our nation—at home and abroad—will always be a top priority. Peace through strength remains the proven strategy for deterring aggression, preventing conflict, and securing lasting peace and prosperity.
Our military must be vigilant, well-resourced, and capable of winning 24/7. That means maintaining our technological edge, reinforcing readiness, and investing in modern capabilities—especially cyber capabilities and missile defense—to meet rapidly evolving 21st-century threats.
I support the right of our allies to defend themselves from terrorists and hostile regimes, but I oppose unlimited foreign aid without strict oversight. No taxpayer dollars should be spent without accountability. Americans deserve full transparency on how their money is used and assurance that every defense expenditure advances our national security.
RELEVANT PRESS RELEASES:
DeSpain Calls Out Extreme U.S. Rep Hoyle’s Vote Refusing to Denounce the Horrors of Socialism
Our election system, like any aspect of our government, must be secure, accurate, and transparent. It is absolutely essential to our democratic process of one person, one vote. This includes requiring a photo ID to vote, updated and accurate voter registration records, and vote tallying by controlled, certified machines and software that are made in America. I strongly support Oregon’s treasured citizen initiative process that serves as an essential check on government overreach and ensures that the voices of everyday Oregonians—too often overlooked—are heard.
RELEVANT PRESS RELEASES:
Monique DeSpain Skewers Val Hoyle for Desperate Border Letter to Biden and Her Census Vote
China is our foremost strategic adversary, and our government must remain vigilant and aggressive in maintaining strength and readiness every moment of every day. That is what China is doing. Our federal government needs bold, astute leadership in every elected position to include all Congressional representatives. National security is a core function of our federal government. Having served as a senior leader in our military for 30 years, I understand the threat China poses to our nation, our freedom, and our prosperity. I vow to continue to put American interests first. Always. I will work to hold the Chinese Communist Party and its leadership accountable for their hostile, invasive actions and end their technology theft, cyber warfare, trade exploitation, currency manipulation, institutional infiltration, and military aggression.
It is essential to peace on earth that America stands against terrorism and stands proudly and strongly with its allies, including Israel. America should and must defend herself against all enemies, and I support all nations in defending themselves against attacks on their people and their sovereign lands. When elected, I will ensure that Israel and its enemies never doubt that America will stand for Israel and against terrorism. This clear rejection of terrorism will also deter similar terrorist attacks on our homeland.
RELEVANT PRESS RELEASES: