Val Hoyle announces Feb. 20, 2026 re-election bid for Oregon's 4th District

Congresswoman Val Hoyle announced she is running for re-election to represent Oregon’s 4th Congressional District, unveiling her campaign in a press release datelined Eugene and leading with the headline "The Time to Fight Is Now." The campaign formalized the launch on Feb. 20, 2026 and framed the race around defending democracy and supporting working families in the Eugene-Springfield area.

In the release Hoyle warned of broad threats to communities, saying, "Every day, we see the chaos being brought to our communities by a President who wants to crush dissent, erase our history and destroy our democracy by undermining free and fair elections. They are driving up costs, undermining working families and trying to sell off our public lands to the highest bidder." That language anchors the campaign’s messaging in opposition to federal actions the release characterizes as harmful to the district.

Hoyle asked voters for active support and positioned herself as a persistent advocate, writing, "While they’re working against you, it’s more important than ever to have someone who will fight for you. And that’s what I do every single day." The campaign also included a direct fundraising call: "We can’t win this fight if we don’t join together and fight back against the billionaires. Be part of our movement and chip in today." Donation processing is routed through ActBlue Express for supporters who have saved payment information.

A native of the region’s political landscape, Hoyle was first elected to Congress in 2022. Her past public service includes time as Oregon’s Labor Commissioner and as a state lawmaker; other profiles note she served as majority leader in the Oregon House of Representatives and led the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. The campaign release used headings such as "Putting Working People First" and "Join the Movement" to emphasize her labor-focused record.

Hoyle’s recent legislative and advocacy actions cited in coverage include signing a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Acting Director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons raising concerns about a potential detention facility in Newport, speaking out against the "Big Beautiful Bill" spending package, calling for unlocking funds to address Oregon’s fishery disaster, and introducing the House version of the Vote at Home Act in 2025.

The Democratic field for the May Democratic Primary already includes Melissa Bird of Corvallis and Melvin Smith of Florence, both of whom have filed to run against Hoyle; Eugene business owner Boris "Bo" Wiedenfeld-Needham ended his bid. Campaign press contact listed in the release is Edward Walrod at 617-910-8473.

Hoyle’s local outreach includes a Social Security and Medicare town hall held April 23, 2025 at Lane Community College, and her material appeared alongside local coverage such as the Jan. 30, 2026 candlelight walk from 22nd and Patterson to Gerlinger Hall in Eugene honoring University of Oregon PhD student Erick Munene Njue. The campaign release is datelined Eugene, while at least one outlet ran the story from Portland; Hoyle closed the announcement saying, "I’m running for re-election to send an unmistakable message that working people in this country come first.