Eight Democrats seeking to replace DeFazio will compete in May primary

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The first contest to claim the Oregon's 4th Congressional District seat soon to be vacated by its holder of the last three decades is May 17, the primary election determining which candidates will be in the Nov. 8 general election.

U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio is not seeking reelection to the 4th District, leaving the seat open for the first time since he took office in 1987. Eight Democrats from a variety of backgrounds are campaigning to take DeFazio's seat in Congress.

There is only one Republican seeking the seat, Alek Skarlatos, who ran a competitive race against DeFazio in 2020. Skarlatos does not have a primary opponent and will automatically be the Republican general election candidate.

The open seat attracted Democrats with and without political experience. Some said they wouldn't have entered the race if DeFazio was running. Oregon’s statewide Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle has DeFazio's endorsement. Doyle Canning, an environmentalist and labor organizer, unsuccessfully challenged him in the 2020 Democratic primary.

More:1 GOP, 1 Independent and a slew of Democrats look to replace DeFazio in Washington, D.C.

Below is a brief look at each of the candidates competing in the Oregon 4th District Democratic primary in May:

Sami Al-Abdrabbuh

“I believe that democracy has the ability to enhance the dignity of all citizens. I want to protect every voter’s sacred right and access to vote. I have witnessed threats to basic human rights in other parts of the world. I understand the power and promise that our democracy holds. This is why I’ll never stop working to protect our human rights.”

Background: Al-Abdrabbuh, 35, is chair of the Corvallis School District Board. He is the president of the "color caucus" of Oregon school board members and serves on the Fair Dismissal’s Appeals Board. He was the board president of the Corvallis Multicultural Literacy Center and a member of the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition’s Steering committee and the Corvallis Public Schools Foundation. Al-Abdrabbuh holds three engineering degrees.

Key issues: Al-Abdrabbuh identified his priorities as providing health care and access to education for all Americans through policies such as expanding Medicare and advocating for cost-free college education, respectively. He said he also would focus on providing economic, racial and climate justice for all Americans.

Doyle Canning

“2022 is a tough year for Democrats. I am our strongest candidate to win in November because of my consistent progressive values, grassroots enthusiasm and momentum in both urban and rural parts of our district. I am a dirt-road Democrat fighting for the solutions that motivate young people and disenchanted voters. ... Our coalition of college Democrats, fishermen on the coast, Douglas County ranchers, cannabis enthusiasts, veterans, rank-and-file union members and climate-conscious voters of all ages will keep our district in progressive hands."

Background: Canning, 42, ran unsuccessfully against DeFazio in the 2020 Democratic primary. She is an attorney and has been involved in progressive, labor and environmental politics. She most recently worked with Greenpeace on climate strategy issues. Canning is the vice chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon's Environmental Caucus.

Key issues: Canning said the climate and housing crises, wildfire risks and what she called former president Donald Trump's attacks on American democracy all motivated her to run for Congress. She believes oil and gas companies' and billionaires' influence on elections are stalling progress on major issues. Canning wants to invest in renewable energy, build more homes, create union jobs, keep abortion legal and make Medicare available for all Americans.

Valerie Hoyle

"I am running to bring my values and my work on behalf of Oregon’s working families to Congress and to continue Peter DeFazio’s legacy of strong, effective leadership for our communities. I am honored to have earned Congressman DeFazio’s endorsement, the support of dozens of local elected officials and progressive organizations from the AFL-CIO to the Oregon Working Families Party to the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund and to have the support of more than 2,000 individual donors to this campaign so far."

Background: Hoyle, 57, is Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries, an elected role overseeing the state Bureau of Labor and Industries. She previously represented District 14, Junction City and west Eugene, in the Oregon House of Representatives and was House majority leader. She was a school funding advocate and a businessperson.

Key issues: Hoyle said her top priorities would be fighting for working families and jobs, bold actions on climate change and assuring effective representation for the district. She said she'd try to involve the federal government in affordable housing arena and would fight to increase the minimum wage, protect reproductive rights, offer universal health care and move the country toward a 100% clean-energy economy.

Andrew Kalloch

“The partisan, polarized, poisonous politics of our era is not working. It has left Congress unable — or unwilling — to address many of the biggest challenges facing our country, and it has left our communities divided by party allegiance at a time when we need to come together as fellow Americans to make sacrifices for our children and their future. As the son of school teachers, a father of three and a former civil rights lawyer at the ACLU, I’m running to bring an independent mind and a new generation of leadership to (Washington,) D.C., that puts people first, not political insiders or deep-pocketed donors."

Background: Kalloch, 37, currently is on leave from his job as a lobbyist for Airbnb. He was a civil rights attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union and a policy adviser in the government and private sectors. He has been involved in the City Club, the Portland Committee on Community-Engaged Policing and Truman National Security Project.

Key issues: Kalloch identified a "cost of living crisis" as one of his primary motivators for running. He said he'd tackle it by working to ensure Medicare can negotiate prescription drug prices, fighting for a "Medicare for all" system, amending the tax code to better support small businesses and affordable housing and getting more money to the working class through the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and a Carbon Tax and Dividend program.

Steve William Laible

"America became the greatest nation on the planet because of a moral code, work ethic and people who knew what leadership and vision were. ... We simply must stop anointing aristocrats, bigots and bullies, conspiracy theorists and obstructionists as our rulers."

Background: Laible, 68, is the author of the "Stevie Tenderheart" children's book series. He served 22 years in the U.S. Air Force and received numerous commendations, including the Bronze Star. He has worked at the Pentagon, including as chief of administration with the Air Force Honor Guard during the Ronald Reagan administration.

Key issues: Laible said forest fire management is one of his top priorities. He also identified cleaning up unhoused encampments, repurposing the IRS to "end taxes" and developing a national system of drought-ending aqueducts as priority issues. Laible said he believes it's important politicians be able to listen to ideas from both parties.

Jake Matthews

"Expect more from your congressmen, expect more from the people you have given the honor of your vote and trust. Oregon has tremendous, untapped potential, and our people are begging for the right visionary to unleash it."

Background: Matthews, 34, is an actor and a screenwriter and produced a film supporting LGBTQ rights after the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting. He has worked as a volunteer for past political campaigns, including the presidential campaigns of John Kerry and Hillary Clinton. Matthews wants to build a new "smart city" in District 4, which would compete with other proposed utopian cities such as "Telosa," the brainchild American billionaire Marc Lore.

Key issues: Matthews said he is running because he feels he no longer can watch what's happening in the country and around the world without trying to fix the problems he sees, such as violent crime, climate change, policing issues and high inflation. He said he believes government representatives need to experience what constituents do.

John Selker

"I will put every fiber of my being into transforming the current congressional divisiveness: moving us collectively into a problem-solving body, connecting in those places where our values and dreams coincide to allow our country to achieve its ideals.”

Background: Selker, 61, is an Oregon State University hydrology professor. Over the past 36 years, he has been a carpenter, maintenance man, electronics and mechanical designer, agricultural engineer and a small business owner.

Key issues: Selker said reversing climate change is the issue at the top of his priority list. Other issues Selker cares about include universal medical coverage, free and affordable education opportunities, equality and discrimination issues, a $15 dollar federal minimum wage indexed to inflation and reversing Citizens United v. Federal Elec­tion Commis­sion, a U.S. Supreme Court decision that allowed corporations to make unlimited political donations.

G. Tommy Smith

“I’m an ordinary person trying to do extraordinary things.”

Background: Smith, 44, served in the U.S. Navy as an air traffic controller. Smith has a degree in business administration from the University of Oregon. He formerly owned a franchise kiosks and now is a personal banker.

Key issues: Smith said he hopes to be part of a new generation of politicians solely focused on serving constituents. He said electing such people is necessary to get federal help for issues such as the unhoused crisis, wildfires, mental health crises, helping veterans and average families struggling to make ends meet.

Contact reporter Adam Duvernay at aduvernay@registerguard.com. Follow on Twitter @DuvernayOR.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Primary election 2022: 8 Democrats in May primary to replace DeFazio