Rep. Val Hoyle faces Republican candidate Monique DeSpain in November for Oregon’s 4th congressional district seat. Hoyle has served the district since 2023, after defeating Republican candidate Alek Skarlatos in 2022.
DeSpain’s campaign platform emphasizes her previous role as a colonel for the United States Air Force and current work as an attorney in Oregon. Hoyle, a Democrat, emphasizes her union roots, reproductive rights and work on sick leave and minimum wage.
DeSpain has put up campaign signs within the district, which spans five counties beyond Lane — Benton, Coos, Curry, Lincoln and the northwestern half of Douglas.
While political campaign sign laws vary by city and county in Oregon, DeSpain’s Eugene signs appear to violate city code.
Eugene city code section 9.6600 states that election signs of 12 square feet or less are allowed on private property from 60 days before to five days after a public election to be held in Lane County.
As of August 6, the Nov. 5 election was 91 days away.
“I’ve been running all over the area the last couple months, and I’ve been noticing these signs, and all of a sudden it dawned on me that these are campaign signs,” says Lane County resident Paula McFadden.
The signs may violate laws in other cities throughout the district, McFadden says.
Since late June or early July, McFadden says she has seen DeSpain’s campaign signs from Coos Bay to Blue River and between, in downtown Eugene.
McFadden says she has contacted Oregon’s Secretary of State office, Lane County and the city of Eugene, but since the congressional district covers counties with different laws, she found she would have to file individual complaints for each sign.
For example, Springfield city code 8.234 allows one temporary sign of 32 square feet or less on a property from 90 days before to five days after an election for federal, state or local office that represents the district where the property is located.
Coos County election law does not cover the size or placement of political campaign signs.
The city of Coos Bay allows political campaign signs with little restriction on private property, but does not allow them to be in a public right-of-way.
There is a DeSpain sign in a public right-of-way in Coos Bay, off Highway 101, McFadden says.
“We’re already inundated with all the crap, with the emails and texts and phone calls and junk mail that having the political signs up the whole time, that’s just not fair,” she says.
In an email from her communications director, DeSpain responded to Eugene Weekly’s request for a comment on the premature campaign signs, celebrating the support she has seen “across the political spectrum.”
“You know you are winning when your opponent, who is under federal investigation, lowers themselves to attacks about yard signs,” DeSpain says.
McFadden does not work for Hoyle’s campaign. Also, Sage Lawrence, Hoyle’s campaign manager says Hoyle is not under federal investigation.
“They keep pushing that, that is not true,” Lawrence says.