Both candidates cite their indigenous backgrounds as a motivation for their run for Congress Two Democrats are challenging U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle in the primary to represent Oregon’s 4th Congressional District, which includes the central and southern coast and parts of the Willamette and Umpqua River Valleys. Hoyle, a former state lawmaker and labor commissioner from Lane County, has held the seat since 2023. Her campaign has raised nearly $1 million since January 2025, and she has slightly more than $500,000 left in her campaign account as of March 31, according to the Federal Election Commission. Her past electoral success came from listening to and earning the trust of Republicans and nonaffiliated voters, she told the Capital Chronicle in a statement, and she intends to do the same if elected again. “I am running for reelection to Congress because this is a time when ordinary people need someone who can fight for them,” Hoyle said.…