Since 1986, Oregon’s 4th Congressional District seat has been held by Peter Defazio. Defazio, this year, will be retiring leaving the 2022 election open for newcomers. Election day is May 17 and there are many new faces to get to know before voting.
Val Hoyle has received DeFazio’s endorsement to replace him. Hoyle is currently serving as Oregon Commissioner of Labor Industries. Elected to her position in 2018, her four year term as Commissioner will come to an end this year. From 2009 to 2017 Hoyle represented Oregon’s 14th district in the State House which includes west Eugene and Junction city.
Hoyle is a familiar political figure for Lane County. When she moved to this county in 1999 she had worked in sales and marketing for Burley Designs and Cane Creek. Volunteering at her children’s school she became an advocate for the group Stand with Children. Later, she moved on to be the director of United Way of Lane County where she focused on student success.
Hoyle’s long resume and endorsement by DeFazio has made her one of the most talked about candidates for the 2022 election. However, Doyle Canning was DeFazio’s Democratic competition in the 2020 elections.
Canning’s Campaign page lists four primary goals: combating climate change; corporate money out of politics; medicare for all; and debt-free education.
Canning is a practicing attorney and advocate for many progressive groups. During the Covid-19 shutdowns she worked with United for Respect, a group that is pushing for policies to provide better working conditions and higher pay. Additionally, she has been endorsed by three groups in 2022: Friends of Earth Action; Progressive Democrats of America; and Oregon Single Payer Advocates.
Running as the solo republican in this election is Alek Skarlatos. He is a highly decorated former National Guardsmen. Since exiting the military after five years of service he starred in the Clint Eastwood directed movie 15:17 to Paris, and authored the book on which it was based. The harrowing story tells of Skarlatos and four other brave men’s actions in stopping a terrorist’s plot. He entered the political scene when he ran against DeFazio in the 2020 election.
DeFazio is retiring after 36 years of public service in Lane County. Here is a preview of the full ballot with every candidate in the running.
