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

Monique DeSpain and her team were projecting a victory late Tuesday after initial vote totals showed her up significantly in her race against Amy Ryan Courser for the Republican nomination for Oregon's 4th Congressional District.

"We can just feel the momentum," DeSpain told the Register-Guard Tuesday night. "People are ready for change. And this may be a Republican primary, but the message of my campaign: the public safety, getting back to a prosperous economy and holding our government accountable is resonating with everybody."

The National Republican Congressional Committee issued a statement in support of DeSpain and looking forward to the general election. "Monique served our nation for three decades and she’ll bring that same integrity to restore accountability to government, get homeless off the streets and restore economic opportunity," NRCC spokesperson Ben Petersen said.

There were still ballots left to count but it was unclear whether there would be enough to change the outcome.

The race pitted DeSpain, an attorney, against Ryan Courser, a former Keizer City Councilor.

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.

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 5^th Congressional District in 2020, where she won the primary but lost the general election, and in Oregon's 6^th 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.

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 4^th 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. The largest sum came from ActBlue, the Democratic equivalent of WinRed, The Federal Election Commission calls both organizations contributors but Kendall Witmer, vice president of political consulting firm Arc Initiatives, objected to this description. "(ActBlue) serves as a conduit for individual contributions made through the platform," she said. "Think Paypal or any other payment processing platform." Hoyle had a multi-way tie for her next highest 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