Candidate Forum, Congressional District 4

Biographies are provided by the panelists and edited for length/proofreading

Dan Bahlen, a Native American Libertarian candidate in the 4th Federal Congressional District of Oregon, felt compelled to help our country after watching the Biden-Trump debate in June. He felt the country was in trouble and needed him at that time. His innovative approach to help our country address all the threats we are facing– a potential economic collapse, a large-scale global conflict, and climate change. Tackling these three issues is the most important thing, and he found it unfortunate that we have political polarization and gridlock in a severely dysfunctional U.S. federal government system. His unique approach starts with the homeless crisis and the culture of poverty and will assist with all our other national crises. With the way his approach is crafted, he aims to gain support from both Republicans and Democrats in Washington, D.C.

Biographies are provided by the panelists and edited for length/proofreading

Monique DeSpain served our nation for 30 years in the U.S. Air Force, the Air Force Reserve, and the Oregon Air National Guard, retiring in 2019 with the rank of Colonel. For 20 years, she served as a lawyer with the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps in domestic and overseas locations, developing policy, handling investigations, and advising senior commanders on military justice and ethics. In private practice, she is an attorney and advocate for crime victims, businesses, government transparency, and commonsense policy reform, with a demonstrated record of integrity. She has lived in Oregon since 1995, where she raised her twin boys in Eugene. Monique is running for Oregon’s 4th District to bring an independent voice to Congress and fight for policies that reduce crime, tackle the homeless crisis, secure our borders, stop the flow of deadly drugs, and restore a prosperous, affordable economy for all.

Biographies are provided by the panelists and edited for length/proofreading

Justin Filip is a graduate of the University of Oregon, and now works at the UO as a program coordinator. He is currently the Secretary of the Pacific Green Party and served as a member of the State Coordinating Committee from 2021-2024. He is also the co-chair of the Eugene chapter of the Pacific Green Party. In April of 2024, Justin and other concerned faculty and staff at the University of Oregon founded the UO Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine to help support and protect the student protesters. Justin’s top priorities include ending the genocide in Palestine and reining in our military spending, bringing federal dollars back to CD4 to help address the housing and unhoused crisis, and ensuring strong protections for federal lands.

Biographies are provided by the panelists and edited for length/proofreading

Congresswoman Val Hoyle has built a career fighting for working people. Before entering public service, she worked in retail sales and international trade for 25 years. Val then served as the Majority Leader in the Oregon Legislature and as Oregon’s Labor Commissioner, where she fought to expand apprenticeship and job training programs and ensure workers were paid the wages and benefits they were owed. In Congress, Val sits on the Natural Resources and Transportation and Infrastructure committees, where she has continued fighting to represent the interests of Oregonians.