Oregon’s 4th District House Race 2026

Retired Lt. Col. David Gauntlett received the Bronze Star Medal with Valor during an Oregon National Guard ceremony in Salem on Oct. 19, 57 years after his actions in Vietnam. From May 12 to 14, 1969, then-Sgt. Gauntlett, a 20-year-old Air Force radio operator, stayed at his radio through three days of mortar attacks at Song Be in Phuoc Long Province, continuing to coordinate airstrikes despite a shrapnel wound. His 1969 award recommendation was lost until a fellow veteran rediscovered the original citation around 2000, launching a five-year effort involving Rep. Val Hoyle's office to validate the recommendation. Hoyle is pushing a National Defense Authorization Act amendment to prevent similar delays for other veterans.

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, a Democrat, and Republican state Senator Christine Drazan met Thursday in Eugene for the first televised debate of the gubernatorial race, with election day about a month away. The two sparred over affordability, abortion rights, federal enforcement and data centers, trading pointed criticisms throughout the exchange.

Reaction from voters afterward was mixed. Some said Drazan struggled to counter her legislative record, while others felt both candidates leaned heavily on attacking each other rather than laying out clear plans. Several undecided voters said the debate did little to sway them, describing it as contentious without a clear winner.

Kotek and Drazan are scheduled to debate twice more, in Bend and Medford, but will not hold a televised debate in Portland before the election. The race is one of the most closely watched gubernatorial contests this cycle, with control of Oregon's executive branch at stake.

Candidates for Oregon governor are set for a series of fall debates, but for the first time in decades, none will take place in Portland. Incumbent Democratic Governor Tina Kotek and Republican Senator Christine Drazan have both said they are willing to debate in Portland, but they could not agree on a venue or host TV station. Kotek accepted an invitation from KOIN, while Drazan declined; Drazan accepted offers from two competing stations, which Kotek turned down.

Both candidates have agreed to debate in Eugene, Bend, and Medford next month, and will appear together Thursday at an Oregon Business and Industry forum hosted by the Portland Business Journal. Some of the out-of-market debates will be broadcast or streamed to Portland audiences, though questions are expected to focus on those local communities rather than the Portland metro area, home to the largest share of Oregon voters. The race is considered close, with recent polling showing Drazan holding a narrow edge over Kotek.

Alaska Democrat Mary Peltola, running to unseat Sen. Dan Sullivan in one of the midterms' most closely watched Senate races, is facing scrutiny after a New York Times investigation detailed a pattern of volatile behavior toward staff dating back to her time in the U.S. House. Nine former aides told the Times that Peltola directed profane outbursts at staff, including one incident in which she reportedly shoved a male aide on his chest, and that she used slurs, including an offensive term for gay people and "retard," on multiple occasions, allegations her campaign has denied or disputed while acknowledging some language. Aides also described her disparaging Planned Parenthood in a text message during a 2024 vote dispute, and some recounted being asked to feed her family's pet chameleon while she traveled.

The report says low morale culminated in a major campaign shake-up in August, just before Alaska's top-four primary, in which her campaign manager was fired and her chief of staff demoted, with two longtime political contractors also reassigned or dismissed. Peltola's campaign attributed any behavioral lapses to grief following the deaths of her mother and husband in 2023, denying claims of mistreatment. Peltola finished first in the August primary, keeping Alaska's Senate race, complicated by ranked-choice voting and other candidates on the ballot, among the contests likely to determine Senate control.

The Rockland County Republican Committee received a $138,000 contribution from businessman Jack Goldenberg this year, the largest single donation in the committee's records over two decades, according to state campaign finance filings. The donation lands in a pivotal election cycle, as Rockland County anchors one of the nation's most closely watched House races between Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, who also chairs the county GOP, and Democratic challenger Cait Conley.

Goldenberg has limited political giving history but previously donated six figures to national Republican committees. His business dealings have drawn legal scrutiny, including a 2020 wrongful-termination ruling against his company and a Portuguese investigation into alleged market manipulation tied to his pharmaceutical firm, Chartwell Pharmaceuticals. A local Democratic candidate has also tied Goldenberg to a contested warehouse development, which he denies involvement in.

The flap underscores escalating money battles in the Lawler-Conley contest, where Conley reported raising $5 million last quarter and outside groups have already spent more than $20 million on advertising, with Republicans currently holding the spending edge.

Virginia's parole board, reconstituted by Gov. Abigail Spanberger in mid-March, has approved parole at a rate far exceeding that of former Gov. Glenn Youngkin's board. According to a Washington Examiner analysis of state parole data, the board's 13.89% release rate over roughly six months is more than ten times Youngkin's full-year 2025 rate of 1.23%. The panel has granted parole to 38 prisoners, already surpassing Youngkin's year-end total of 32, including six convicted murderers and 11 sex offenders. In more than 49% of parole-violation cases, the board allowed violators, including repeat offenders, to remain on parole rather than revoking their release.

Supporters of the board's approach point to rehabilitation factors such as vocational achievement, faith-based program participation, and age at time of offense. Critics, including the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy, argue the trend reflects a shift toward more lenient criminal-justice policy and raises public-safety concerns. The board maintains an overall denial rate above 86%. Spanberger's administration has also expanded prison reentry programs and restored voting rights to tens of thousands of formerly incarcerated Virginians this year.

Florida executed William Reaves, 77, by lethal injection on Tuesday evening at Florida State Prison for the 1986 killing of Indian River County Sheriff's Deputy Richard Raczkoski, the state's 18th execution this year under Gov. Ron DeSantis. Reaves, a Vietnam veteran whose lawyers cited PTSD from his combat service, declined a final statement after his appeals were rejected by the Florida Supreme Court and U.S. Supreme Court. Raczkoski's family and the sheriff who witnessed the execution said it brought closure, though the sheriff disputed it amounted to justice. Florida accounts for more than half of the 32 executions nationwide this year; a scheduled November 5 execution of Jesse Guardado would tie the state's record of 19, set last year.

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., became the latest lawmaker to report a suspicious white powder mailed to his Leesburg office, which was evacuated Monday as local hazmat teams and Capitol Police responded. He joins a growing list of officials targeted in recent weeks, including Reps. Seth Moulton and Eugene Vindman, and Sens. Adam Schiff, Pete Ricketts, Ted Cruz, and Mike Rounds. Moulton noted his letter carried a return address linked to the Democratic Socialists of America, which denies any involvement. The incidents began last week with letters sent to Louisiana's and Oklahoma's election offices. The FBI, Capitol Police, Senate Sergeant at Arms, and Postal Inspection Service are investigating the apparent coordinated intimidation campaign.

The St. Paul City Council voted 5-0 to hire the law firm Fisher Phillips, at $500 per hour, to represent Mayor Kaohly Her and the city in a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed by Police Chief Axel Henry. The vote came after more than 100 public comments opposed the expenditure, with many calling for Her's resignation. An independent 73-page review by Resolute Law, made public the day after the vote, found the mayor had crossed workplace boundaries with jokes and innuendos but did not substantiate all of Henry's claims; the city's HR department ordered further training for her.

Council members, including Molly Coleman and HwaJeong Kim, criticized the lack of transparency and timing of the information shared with them, with some saying "every option" should remain on the table if the mayor cannot show a path forward. Henry's attorney has urged the council to demand her resignation. Council President Rebecca Noecker defended the legal hire as necessary due process while acknowledging frustration over the cost amid a difficult city budget year.

Oregon's gubernatorial race took center stage over Labor Day, as incumbent Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek and Republican challenger Christine Drazan both courted worker support ahead of the November election. Kotek attended the Northwest Oregon Labor Council's annual Labor Day picnic at Oaks Amusement Park in Portland, telling thousands of union members she would back them at the bargaining table. Attendees included members of AFSCME, SEIU, Teamsters and UFCW, along with other Democratic officials such as Secretary of State Tobias Read.

Drazan, who did not attend a Labor Day event, posted a pro-worker video pledging to bring jobs and investment back to Oregon and reverse business relocations out of the state. The contest comes as Oregon faces a rising cost of living and unemployment ticking above the national rate. Oregon has a strong union tradition, with unionization rates well above the national average, and labor groups have historically leaned Democratic, though both parties are working to win worker votes this cycle.