Monique DeSpain is the Republican candidate for Oregon's 4th Congressional District.
Courtesy of the campaign
Editor’s note: Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Stay informed with OPB on the presidential race, key congressional battles and other local contests and ballot measures in Oregon and Southwest Washington at opb.org/elections.
OPB asked candidates for Congressional races the same questions on key issues in the state. Answers are provided verbatim but responses were limited to 150 words. Read Democratic incumbent Rep. Val Hoyle and Green Party candidate Justin Filip’s responses.
To start, please give us your name and basic biographical details, including your current position or job, any elected offices you have held and any key facts you would like voters to know about you.
Monique J. DeSpain
Age: 60
Place of Residence: South Eugene, Lane County, Oregon
Occupation(s): Retired Air Force Colonel, Attorney, Advocate for Government Transparency, Reform, Crime Victims, Businesses
Education: J.D.; Willamette Univ. Law, M.S., Admin; Central Michigan Univ., B.S., Psychology; Univ. of Utah
Professional history.
- 30-year veteran of the United States Air Force, U.S. Air Force Reserve, and the Oregon Air National Guard retiring with the rank of Colonel, Judge Advocate General (JAG)
- Legal consultant and general counsel for a full spectrum of business & family matters
- Attorney with Mannix Law LLC fighting for the rights of crime victims, business owners
- Legal Counsel with non-profit Common Sense for Oregon, formulating improved public policies to address high taxes, rampant homelessness, addiction, and crime in Oregon.
- Volunteer Mediator and board member with the Center for Dialogue & Resolution in Eugene, Oregon, for 10 years
My background and experience are more fully described here https://www.moniqueforcongress.com/meet-monique/
Why should you be elected to represent this district?
Voters have had enough of the dysfunction in Washington. My opponent, incumbent career politician Congresswoman Val Hoyle, is the perfect example of this, catering to her corrupt cronies while our federal government utterly fails to secure our borders and ensure a prosperous, affordable economy for all citizens. I am not a career politician. I am a political outsider with a distinguished career producing results in the private sector and the military. In the Air Force, I achieved the rank of Colonel, held a top-secret security clearance, and prepared for threats to our national security. As an attorney in the private sector, I advised employers striving to meet payroll, navigate complex laws, and serve customers. I feel called to serve again to reverse our nation’s rapid decline. As an independent voice in Congress, I will listen, put voters first, and work to restore the American Dream in a safe, prosperous, free country.
What is the most pressing challenge facing your district? What is your proposed solution to that problem? Please be specific.
The two top challenges facing my district are creating an affordable economy and restoring public safety. Fentanyl, homelessness, and crime are plaguing our neighborhoods. The collapse of Oregon’s public safety is in large part fueled by the unsecured southern border. As the overall quality of life in our communities rapidly declines, families and businesses are suffering. I will demand transparency and accountability to ensure federal funds are used to secure our border and fund addiction recovery and not on cities that defund police. Bringing back a prosperous, affordable economy is also critical. As a mother who raised twin boys, I understand how inflation is devastating family budgets, seniors on fixed incomes, small businesses, and threatening the American Dream. I will demand an end to the government policies fueling inflation. Endorsed by NFIB, I will work to reduce regulations, keep taxes low, and remove barriers to growth for our small businesses.
Related: What you need to know about voting in Oregon and Southwest Washington
Who won the 2020 election?
Joe Biden. He is the President.
Will you commit to certify the 2024 election results, regardless of the victor?
Yes. I will adhere to the Constitution and the law regarding Congressional certification of the 2024 election.
Would you support a federal ban on abortion? Why or why not?
Despite my opponent’s lies about my record, I have been crystal clear on this issue from the beginning- I oppose a federal ban on abortion, and I support access to IVF treatments. The miracle of IVF helped create my precious family. Oregon’s laws guarantee important health decisions are made between a woman and her doctor, not the government. I will never support legislation in Congress that would change or disrupt Oregon’s laws.
Intel has close connections with the Israeli government and the nation itself and is one of the largest employers in the state. What is your stance on the ongoing war in Gaza and Intel’s connections to the region?
It is essential to peace on earth that America stands against terrorism and stands resolutely with her allies in this common cause, including Israel. America should and must defend itself against all enemies, and I support all nations in defending themselves against attacks on their people and their sovereign lands. The instigators of the horrific Oct 7th attacks, Hamas, should give up the hostages they continue to hold, surrender, and let new Palestinian leaders emerge who renounce terrorism, agree that Israel has a right to exist, and truly embrace a negotiation process that can lead to a peaceful and prosperous future for both Palestinians and Israelis.
Related: Issues important to Oregon voters
Immigration is one of the most prominent issues in the Republican party’s national platform. How has immigration impacted your constituents directly or indirectly? Please be specific. Would you support the bipartisan immigration bill negotiated earlier this year if it returns? Why or why not?
Our open border is an exigent national security and public safety crisis, not an immigration crisis, and we must not conflate these two important issues. According to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) 07/21/24, the current administration has caught, identified, and released into the interior of the United States over 650,000 illegal migrants with criminal records, including those convicted of murder, rape, people on the terror watch list, and millions of unidentified “gotaways.’ Val Hoyle said on 02/02/24, “We need to have this movement through the border.” She voted against the H.R.2 House border security bill and TEN bills that would have enabled ICE to deport criminal illegal aliens. I support whatever measures are necessary to secure our border, end catch and release, and stop the flow of fentanyl and trafficked humans into our district’s communities while getting foreign criminals and terrorists out of our country and keeping them out.
Related: Listen to 'OPB Politics Now'
The U.S. House of Representatives is fiercely divided and even if Democrats retake the House, it will likely be extremely close in terms of the majority. What is your track record of working with the other party — or people within your own party with whom you disagree — to pass meaningful legislation?
During my 30 years in the Air Force, people often had differing opinions and solutions, but I focused on the mission, found common ground, and implemented effective solutions. As a lawyer in private practice, I brought people in conflict together to find agreement. This is what I will do in Congress. One example of how I plan to work in Congress is the Fix Our Forests Act. It’s a desperately needed, transformative bill to restore the health and resilience of our forests, prevent future wildfires, and vastly improve how we work across key stakeholders and government agencies to sustainably achieve these goals. It passed with 55 Democrat votes, including Nancy Pelosi. Val Hoyle voted NO on this bill to please extreme partisan political special interest groups. Working to develop and pass bills like the Fix Our Forests Act is the kind of mission-focused bipartisanship that I will bring to Congress.