Monique DeSpain

Monique DeSpain was born in Long Beach, California. Monique DeSpain served in the U.S. Air Force, the Air Force Reserve, and the Oregon Air National Guard. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Utah in 1986, a graduate degree from Central Michigan University in 1993, and a law degree from the Willamette University College of Law in 1998. Her career experience includes working as a legal consultant and attorney.[1]As of 2024, DeSpain was affiliated with Common Sense for Oregon.[2]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Monique is running for Congress in OR-04 because Oregon needs a fighter in Washington who delivers results, not more career politicians who talk without acting. She's running to reduce crime, tackle homelessness, stop the flow of deadly drugs across our southern border, and restore Oregon's economy.

An Air Force veteran, attorney, and advocate for government transparency, Monique has a consistent record of service and integrity. Outside politics, she built a career as a military lawyer, corporate general counsel, and advocate for businesses and crime victims, all while raising her twin boys as a single mom in Eugene, Oregon.

Monique served 30 years in the Air Force, Air Force Reserve, and Oregon Air National Guard, retiring as a Colonel. For 20 of those years she served as a JAG Corps lawyer across postings including Singapore, Bosnia, Kosovo, Cyprus, Italy, the Pentagon, and Oregon, handling investigations, litigation, and advising senior commanders on military justice and ethics. She also worked as a legal consultant on business and family matters, veterans' affairs, and dispute resolution, and volunteered a decade as board member, president, and mediator with the Center for Dialogue and Resolution in Eugene.

After retiring from the military in 2019, Monique joined the Kevin Mannix Law Firm, fighting for crime victims and business owners. In 2022 she joined Common Sense for Oregon, working on policy to address homelessness, addiction, and crime.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I am a retired Air Force Colonel who served our nation for 30 years in the Air Force, Air Force Reserve, and Oregon Air National Guard. For 20 of those years, I served as a military lawyer in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, deploying to several overseas assignments in addition to the Pentagon and serving here at home in Oregon — developing policy, handling investigations, litigation, and advising senior commanders on military justice and ethics. I am also a single mom who raised twin boys in Eugene, and an attorney who has fought for the rights of crime victims and business owners. I am running for Congress because I will never stop serving, and Oregon's 4th District deserves a representative who puts service over politics.Oregon's 4th has endured too many tough years under career politicians who have delivered rampant homelessness, unsafe streets, rising costs, and declining living standards. I will ensure our nation’s borders remain secure. I support constant vigilance to stop the flow of human trafficking, fentanyl, and other deadly drugs into our nation. I support collaboration between law enforcement at all levels to keep our communities safe by reducing crime, solving the homelessness crisis with common-sense solutions that address addiction and mental illness, and end reckless tax-and-spend policies fueling inflation and putting the American Dream out of reach. As an outsider to our failed political system, I am ready to lead Oregon's comeOur incumbent Congresswoman, Val Hoyle, is one of several elected Oregon reps who are the subjects of state and federal investigations regarding beleaguered marijuana company, La Mota, and its executives. Val Hoyle, as BOLI commissioner, was central to a pay-to-play scheme involving an illegal grant she delivered to the La Mota company's nonprofit, several individuals central to La Mota donated to Val Hoyle’s various campaigns. She has also was found to have violated the STOCK Act by failing to report over 200 stock trades while her personal assets grew by over 400% in less than three years. Oregonians deserve transparent, accountable leadership — not a career politician enriching herself at our expense. I will bring government t

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about public safety, veterans' affairs, government transparency and accountability, border security, and addressing homelessness. As a JAG Corps attorney who conducted investigations for 20 years, I understand how to root out corruption and hold officials accountable. As a veteran, I will fight to protect veteran benefits and ensure every veteran receives the care they have earned — including our forgotten homeless veterans. I am also passionate about responsible forest management, protecting Oregon's timber communities, supporting small businesses, election integrity, and preserving Oregon's citizen initiative process as an essential check on government overreach.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Notable endorsements include the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), Citizens for Sensible Forest Management (CSFM), Crime Victims United, and numerous current and retired law enforcement officers from across the district. Full list available at the campaign endorsements page.

Video for [the profile publisher]

Video submitted to BallotpediaReleased July 31, 2024

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am an outsider running for Congress because my kids and yours need a fighter in Washington who will deliver commonsense policies with real results. I served our nation for 30 years in the United States Air Force, the Air Force Reserve, and the Oregon Air National Guard, retiring with the rank of Colonel. For 20 of those years, I served as a lawyer with the Judge Advocate General’s Corps in various locations and deployments around the world, developing policy, handling investigations, managing litigation, and advising senior commanders on military justice and ethics. I made Oregon my home in 1995 when I left active duty to attend law school at Willamette University in Salem. I am a single mother who raised my twin boys for the past 22 years in the heart of the Fourth Congressional District in Eugene, Oregon. Concurrent with my military service, I practiced law for a full spectrum of business and family matters including policy development, Veterans’ affairs, litigation, and alternative dispute resolution. I volunteered for ten years as a Board Member and Mediator with the Center for Dialogue & Dispute Resolution in Eugene, Oregon. Following my retirement from the military in 2019, I joined the Kevin Mannix Law Firm and pursued legal causes fighting for the rights of crime victims and business owners. In 2022, I joined the non-profit Common Sense for Oregon, where I worked to improve public policies to address rampant homelessness, addiction, and crime.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

National security, safe communities, and safe workplaces are fundamental, non-negotiable functions of government. We are a nation of laws, and I support the rule of law, but laws are only effective when enforced. No communities are safe without adequate law enforcement. It is my goal to ensure that law enforcement has the necessary authority and resources to do their jobs effectively, from Customs and Border Patrol to our local sheriffs, police, and district attorneys. Public officials who refuse to enforce our laws and hold criminals accountable must be held accountable themselves. I will not support federal funding for soft-on-crime cities or cities that defund the police and leave Americans vulnerable.My goal in Congress is to legislate such that the American Dream is restored and achievable for all working Americans. I want that for my children, my grandchildren, and yours. Growing and strengthening the middle class is a top priority for me. The American middle class is struggling and shrinking. Inflation is crushing family budgets and the budgets of our elderly on fixed incomes. Most of us are able to afford less and less each year. This is not the dream so many of us strive to build for ourselves and our families! I will work hard to end the radical tax & spend policies coming out of Washington, D.C. that are leading to wasteful government spending, increasing our national debt, fueling inflation and killing the American Dream.Our elected representatives have a legal and moral obligation to make all of their business of government transparent and accountable to the people they serve. I am committed to sharing all of my votes and my reasons behind them for all the public to see. I will ask the tough questions in relentless pursuit of the truthful, factual answers, followed by prompt and deliberate action. I will apply my experienced investigative eye, and my knowledge of the law, to expose wasteful spending. Much like my work as a military and private sector lawyer, I will fight to eliminate discrimination, corruption, cronyism, expose conflicts of interest, and bring an end to the careers of corrupt career politicians, starting with our Congresswoman Val Hoyle.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

To ensure safe neighborhoods in Congressional District 4, we must secure our nation’s border and stop the relentless flow of fentanyl, P2P meth, and other deadly drugs into Oregon. By ending cartel control and stopping criminals from illegally entering our communities, we will stop the delivery and distribution of deadly drugs, human trafficking, and other abhorrent activity fueling addiction, homelessness, and the crime wave overwhelming our communities. My border security plan is an ‘all of the above’ approach including physical barriers, advanced technologies, sensors, cybersecurity, drones, and increased numbers of border patrol agents authorized to actually secure the border, not merely process illegal migrants into our country.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Apollo 11 Moon Landing. I was 5 years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

McDonalds

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Girl on Fire

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I have signed a pledge to support federal term limits legislation - 3 terms in the House, 2 in the Senate.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Cathy McMorris Rodgers

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Many elected state representatives, local law enforcement, county commissions, and local elected officials throughout district. [See list: https://moniqueforcongress.com/endorsements/]

What committees interest you?

Energy and Commerce, Veterans Affairs, and Natural Resources

Campaign website

DeSpain’s campaign website stated the following:

Border Security & Immigration Reform

No common sense person can deny we have a crisis at our borders that will not be controlled if we do not secure our border. Our open border is both a serious national security threat to our survival as a country and an intentional humanitarian crisis of profound suffering for hundreds of thousands of immigrants from throughout the world. Millions of people from around the world have illegally entered our country via our intentionally open border, and we taxpayers are paying for their housing, medical, and sustenance needs. This assault on our nation is due to the policies of the current Biden Administration.

As your Congresswoman, national security will remain my priority and I will work with anyone in Congress to secure our border by taking an ‘all of the above’ approach. My security plan includes physical barriers, using advanced technologies to include sensors, cybersecurity, and drones, and increasing the number of border patrol agents to actually secure the border, not merely process and distribute illegal migrants throughout the interior of our country. We should treat cartels as the foreign terrorist organizations they are and respond by using all federal law enforcement capacity, intelligence, and defense assets to end terrorist threats to our country. We must stop cartels from preying on innocent immigrants and poisoning our citizens by ending the cartel’s multi-billion dollar drug and human trafficking empires.

Our law-abiding immigrants have suffered too long under our inefficient and plodding immigration system. Reform has been necessary for decades. As your Congresswoman, I will work with anyone in Congress to reform our immigration laws to include commonsense asylum laws and efficient processes. Our current catch-and-release policies and other codified abuses and exploitations of our immigration system must end. I support the reinstatement of the “Remain in Mexico” Policy and other proven effective measures to return criminals, gang members, and other illegal aliens to their originating country promptly.

I am proud to be the only candidate in the race to call out current Congresswoman Hoyle for her vote to allow homeless encampments for illegal immigrants in our national parks and forests. The border crisis must be stopped, not accommodated by encampments and subsidies at taxpayer expense.

Public Safety and Crime

National security, safe communities, and safe workplaces are a fundamental, non-negotiable function of government. No communities are safe without adequate law enforcement. We are a nation of laws, and laws are only effective when enforced. I support the rule of law and the men and women of law enforcement and other emergency responders. It is my goal to ensure they have the necessary authority and resources to do their job effectively, from Customs and Border Patrol to our local sheriffs, police, and district attorneys. Public officials who refuse to enforce our laws and hold criminals accountable must be held accountable themselves and swiftly replaced with officials who will. I will not support federal funding for soft-on-crime cities or cities that defund the police and leave Americans vulnerable.

Almost every family I know has been touched by the tragedy of substance abuse. In 2023, over 100,000 Americans were killed by either a one-time fentanyl poisoning or fentanyl addiction. I refuse to accept this as America’s new ‘normal.’ To ensure safe neighborhoods in Congressional District 4, we must secure our nation’s border and stop the relentless flow of fentanyl, P2P methamphetamines, and other deadly drugs into Oregon. By ending cartel control of our borders and stopping criminals from illegally entering our cities and other communities, we will stop the delivery and distribution of deadly drugs, human trafficking, and other abhorrent cartel activity that is fueling addiction, homelessness, and the crime wave overwhelming our communities. It’s common sense.

Addressing Homelessness and Addiction

There is no doubt we are in a housing crisis in Oregon and the entire nation. However, there is no one solution, no single “Housing First” model that will solve the spectrum of housing needs. The addicted and mentally ill homeless we all see in our city streets, parks, and other public spaces will not be saved by keys to a new home, condo or apartment provided by taxpaying Americans. Common sense dictates that our policies must have the objective of reining in and healing drug addiction and mental illness that leads to homelessness. One obvious step in the right direction is the prompt re-criminalizing of hard drug use, prohibiting drug use in public spaces, and criminalizing all forms of drug trafficking.

The current agenda of our elected officials in power and of many nonprofits ‘serving’ the homeless addicted is gravely inhumane and lacking compassion. We as a people should do all we can to lift our citizens out of the prison of addiction and mental illness - and law enforcement often must be a part of that healing process. All people have value and need hope and purpose to thrive. Recovery from addiction and illness is the only path to independent living and independent housing, and all programs in the homelessness, addiction, and mental health space must make recovery their mission and reject the current enablement programs.

We cannot continue to fund state and local governments that have decriminalized the use of drugs and hobbled law enforcement. Current policy has further deepened the growing dependent class in Oregon and throughout the country. We must take a balanced approach to funding programs that rehabilitate individuals and motivate them to reject the endless cycle of addiction, mental illness, and the resultant homelessness.

Affordable Housing for Working Americans

To truly address and resolve the affordable housing crisis, we must address the skyrocketing cost of living caused by extreme policies coming from Salem and Washington, D.C. At the same time, we must increase housing availability and affordability. I support ending prohibitive and inflationary policies that stifle new construction with excessive permitting costs, building regulations, city and county codes, bureaucratic red tape, and outdated land use restrictions imposed by the government itself. Do you know that the entire population of Oregon lives on approximately 7 percent of our State? These government-imposed restrictions, coupled with runaway inflation and interest rates, are pricing most working people out of the American Dream of home ownership. I want to be part of the common sense conservative majority in Congress that ensures the federal government does its part to lift housing restrictions.

Environment & Natural Resources

Oregon’s natural resource-based industries are our cornerstone to prosperity and livability in Congressional District 4. We need a strong, fearless advocate in Congress now more than ever. Our timber industry and coastal residents have seen 50 years of career politicians making empty promises. Once elected, I will be a staunch advocate for responsible forest management through co-stewardship of our forests with our native tribes, sustainable harvesting of timber, removal of fuel loads that cause massive wildfires, and requiring the Bureau of Land Management to rapidly extinguish fires or provide authorization to state, local, and private entities willing and able to protect our forests and communities from fire. As your Congresswoman, I will fight for our farmers and agricultural producers because I support independence and the right to flourish and thrive. I will prioritize our “Made In America” food supply and protect the right of farmers to farm and to provide consumers with affordable and healthy choices.

Additionally, I will be laser-focused on removing the federal barriers to the development of the Coos Bay International Port, which has the untapped potential to be a world-class economic gem serving the entire Pacific. As your Congresswoman I will do all I can to unleash the potential of our coastal communities by developing and supporting sustained infrastructure, addressing housing and childcare shortfalls, and attracting a skilled workforce.

Education

Government education policies are failing our children, and Oregon ranks among the worst government education programs in America. Yet more money is being spent and extracted from the taxpayers every year only to produce steadily declining education results with our kids. Students are failing to achieve minimum proficiency in the core basics of reading, writing, and math which passes massive expense to families and employers and fails to prepare our young people for productive lives. To fix this, we must insist that parents, teachers and other key members of the education community have a seat at the table when it comes to our children’s education and development.

As a single working mother whose children went through public 4J schools in Eugene, I know the strain and expense on families who step up to fill the gaps left by our government school system.

As your Congresswoman, I will support federal legislation to pass a Parents’ Bill of Rights to ensure today’s one-size-fits-all approach to a curriculum run by education bureaucrats is replaced by one where parents have a primary and active role in the educational development of their children. Parental rights include full transparency regarding anything to do with a person’s child, guaranteed access to all curricula being taught to children, ensured access to school performance statistics, and school choice.

Economy

My goal in Congress is to legislate such that the American Dream is restored and achievable for all working Americans. I want that for my children, my grandchildren, and yours. Growing and strengthening the middle class is a top priority for me. Right now, the American middle class is struggling and shrinking. As your Congresswoman, I will emphasize sustainable domestic private sector job creation, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses and particularly in the trades. I will support policies that invest in American manufacturing and trade sector job creation because I want to lower the costs of goods and get Americans working proudly again. Achieving prosperity requires the government to lift its stifling regulations, reduce onerous permitting and taxation, and allow Americans to enjoy the fruits of their hard labor and inspire their reinvestment.

Crime is driving the cost of goods up for law-abiding people. I support channeling federal resources toward dramatically reducing property crime and theft that is causing product prices to increase, making insurance prohibitively expensive, and driving businesses out of communities. Inflation is crushing family budgets and the budgets of our elderly on fixed incomes. Most of us are able to afford less and less each year. This is not the American dream so many of us strive to build for ourselves and our families!

As your Congresswoman, I will work hard to end the radical tax and spend policies coming out of Washington, D.C. that do nothing more than encourage wasteful government spending, increase our national debt, fuel inflation, and make it almost impossible for most Americans to achieve the American Dream.

Energy

As we all know from experiencing the storms and fires that hit our District, energy equals civilization, and energy is a serious local and national security issue. As your Congresswoman, I will fight against the persistent attack on energy choice for all Americans. The first-world nation we currently enjoy must continue to ensure access to an array of reliable and affordable energy options without the threat of arbitrary government bans, penalties, or prohibitive taxes. Consumers and business owners have the right to decide when to adopt alternative energy without excessive cost and without unwanted government intervention. To deliver on this, the government should pursue an “all of the above” energy strategy as it strives for scientifically based cleaner energy choices, protects our energy infrastructure, and ends reliance on sources of energy from hostile and unreliable nations.

Government Transparency and Accountability

Elected representatives of the American people have a legal and moral obligation to make all of their business of government, the business of the people, transparent and accountable to the people they serve. When elected, I commit to sharing all of my votes and my reasons behind them for all the public to see. I will ask the tough questions in relentless pursuit of the truthful, factual answers, followed by prompt and deliberate action. I will apply my experienced investigative eye, and my knowledge of the law, to expose wasteful spending. Much like my work as a military and private sector lawyer, I will fight to eliminate discrimination, corruption, and cronyism, expose conflicts of interest, and bring an end to the careers of pay-to-play career politicians, starting with our corrupt Congresswoman Val Hoyle.

National Security and Foreign Policy

As a 30-year retired Air Force Colonel with a top-secret security clearance, the importance of America’s national security, both domestically and abroad, remains a top priority for me. ‘Peace through strength’ is proven to be key to deterring conflict and attacks on America and our interests and is proven to secure and safeguard lasting peace and prosperity. Our military must be vigilant, ready, and able to fight and win 24/7. Readiness includes maintaining our high technology advantage over adversaries and preparing for new and developing 21st Century threats, which includes investments in cyber capabilities and defenses. While I acknowledge the right of allies to defend themselves from terrorists or hostile regimes who seek to invade them, I oppose blank checks for foreign assistance without accountability for all DoD expenditures and foreign aid. Americans are entitled to transparency and accountability of their government and entitled to know where and how their money is being spent.

2A and Self-Protection

I am an adherent to the U.S. Constitution, and therefore, I support and will continue to defend our individual right to self-protection and our right to keep and bear arms under the 2nd Amendment. I support reasonable measures to separate the mentally ill from weapons while respecting the Constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens.

Election Integrity

Our election system, like any aspect of our government, must be secure, accurate, and transparent. It is absolutely essential to our democratic process of one person, one vote. This includes requiring a photo ID to vote, updated and accurate voter registration records, and vote tallying by controlled and certified machines and software that are made in America.

China

China is our foremost strategic adversary, and our government must remain vigilant and aggressive in maintaining strength and readiness every moment of every day. That is what China is doing. Our federal government needs bold astute leadership in every elected position to include all Congressional representatives. National security is a core function of our federal government. Having served as a senior leader in our military for 30 years, I understand the threat China poses to our nation, our freedom, and our prosperity. I vow to continue to put American interests first. Always. I will work to hold the Chinese Communist Party and its leadership accountable for their hostile invasive actions and end their technology theft, cyber warfare, trade exploitation, currency manipulation, institutional infiltration, and military aggression.

Israel

It is essential to peace on earth that America stands against terrorism and stands proudly and strongly with her allies, including Israel. America should and must defend herself against all enemies, and I support all nations in defending themselves against attacks on their people and their sovereign lands. When elected, I will ensure that Israel and her enemies never doubt that America will stand for Israel and against terrorism. This clear rejection of terrorism will also deter similar terrorist attacks on our homeland.

Family

The American family is under assault by many institutions and influences in our society, but especially by our own government. Government has no business attempting to render parents irrelevant by undermining their parental duties and concerns in service to extreme social and political agendas. Governments at all levels must end social experimentation on our kids and get back to protecting and supporting the role of parents. American families are the core of our country and must be protected and supported, not undermined and destroyed. To that end, I support school choice, parental rights, and the superiority of the parent in all aspects of child-rearing.

[3]

—Monique DeSpain’s campaign website (2024)[4]