DeSpain leads Ryan Courser for Republican nomination in Oregon's 4th District

Alan Torres, Eugene Register-Guard
Updated ·3 min read
Republican congressional candidate Monique DeSpain eyes election results during an election watch party hosted by DeSpain’s campaign Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at the Inn at the Fifth in Eugene, Ore.
Republican congressional candidate Monique DeSpain eyes election results during an election watch party hosted by DeSpain’s campaign Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at the Inn at the Fifth in Eugene, Ore.
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This story will be updated as vote counts are reported.

Monique DeSpain had a moderate lead in the first round of election returns, but election clerks were still busy counting votes in the race for Oregon's 4th Congressional District.

The first round of returns counted 63,489 ballots county-wide, for about 23% turnout. The last Lane County May election in a presidential year had about 47% turnout. Lane County was scheduled to post the next round of results at 11 p.m.

Voters will decide between DeSpain, an attorney, and former Keizer City Councilor Amy Ryan Courser for the Republican nomination in Oregon’s 4th Congressional District.

The district includes all of Benton, Coos, Curry, Lincoln and Lane counties, most of Douglas County and a small portion of Linn County near Corvallis.

The winner will face incumbent Democrat Val Hoyle in the November general election, a contest that could help determine which party controls the U.S. House.

Hoyle does not have a primary opponent. She won the 2022 general election against Alek Skarlatos 50.6% to 43.1% after winning the 8-way Democratic primary to replace retiring 18-term Rep. Peter DeFazio.

DeSpain has highlighted a "public safety" background that includes 30 years of Air Force service where she was both a colonel and a judge advocate general (JAG) officer (military legal counsel), followed by time as an attorney for the Kevin Mannix Law Firm where she fought "for the rights of crime victims (and) business owners" and as legal counsel for Common Sense for Oregon.

DeSpain received endorsements from several prominent Oregon Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz and six state representatives.

Amy Ryan Courser, a candidate for Oregon’s 4th Congressional District, speaks during a candidate forum held by the city clubs of Eugene and Springfield in Glenwood Friday, April 12, 2024.
Amy Ryan Courser, a candidate for Oregon’s 4th Congressional District, speaks during a candidate forum held by the city clubs of Eugene and Springfield in Glenwood Friday, April 12, 2024.

Amy Ryan Courser has highlighted a background in entrepreneurship and local government. This includes four years on Keizer City Council where she said she "was a champion for local businesses and community improvement projects" and where she served on advisory boards and committees, where she said she advocated for "everything from sanctity of life, fighting to lower taxes and horrific gun legislation to standing strong against sanctuary status."

Ryan Courser previously attempted congressional runs in Oregon's 5th Congressional District in 2020, where she won the primary but lost the general election, and in Oregon's 6th Congressional District in 2022, where she lost in the primary.

Both candidates have made the case that they're the one who can beat Hoyle.

DeSpain's team cited broad support including from current Republican congressional leaders and law enforcement. "Monique is the only candidate in the race to receive law enforcement endorsements," her communications director, Kevin Hoar, said.

Republican congressional candidate Monique DeSpain speaks during an election watch party hosted by DeSpain’s campaign Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at the Inn at the Fifth in Eugene, Ore.
Republican congressional candidate Monique DeSpain speaks during an election watch party hosted by DeSpain’s campaign Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at the Inn at the Fifth in Eugene, Ore.

They also cited the resources to challenge Hoyle. "DeSpain is the only credible Republican candidate with the resources to run TV ads," Hoar said. He also pointed to the fact that Ryan Courser's address is out of district. Ryan Courser said while her address is in Salem, she practically lives out of her RV and spends most of her time in the 4th District.

Ryan Courser has said she's more qualified to beat Hoyle because of her experience from her prior congressional runs, where in 2020 she lost but flipped Polk and Tillamook counties that voted for Democrat Kurt Schrader in 2018 and her in 2020, as well as anti-abortion endorsements and what she sees as an "unbeholden and unapologetic" more conservative record.

Campaign funding in Oregon 4th Congressional District primary race

This election cycle, DeSpain raised $272,838 and Ryan Courser raised $27,402 as of May 1. They had the same top contributor: WinRed, a fundraising platform and political action committee that supports Republicans, and their second highest contributors were both themselves.

Hoyle raised $1.3 million. Her top contributor is ActBlue, the Democratic equivalent of WinRed, and she has a multi-way tie for her 2nd contributors.

Alan Torres covers local government for the Register-Guard. He can be reached over email at atorres@registerguard.com or on X @alanfryetorres.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Election results: DeSpain leads Ryan Courser in GOP primary