Lori Michelle Chavez-DeRemer (/ˈtʃɑːvɛz dəˈriːmər/; née Chávez; born April 7, 1968) is an American politician who has served as the 30th United States secretary of labor since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, she served as the U.S. representative for Oregon's 5th congressional district from 2023 to 2025 and as the mayor of Happy Valley, Oregon, from 2011 to 2019.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2025 | |
| 30th United States Secretary of Labor | |
| Assumed office March 11, 2025 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Keith Sonderling |
| Preceded by | Marty Walsh |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon's 5th district | |
| In office January 3, 2023 – January 3, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Kurt Schrader |
| Succeeded by | Janelle Bynum |
| Mayor of Happy Valley | |
| In office January 18, 2011 – January 15, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Rob Wheeler |
| Succeeded by | Tom Ellis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lori Michelle Chávez April 7, 1968 Santa Clara, California, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Shawn DeRemer (m. 1991) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Stuart Erwin (great-granduncle) |
| Education | California State University, Fresno (BBA) |
She was the first Republican woman to represent Oregon in the House. Additionally, she was one of the first two Hispanic women (alongside Andrea Salinas) elected to the United States Congress from Oregon. Chavez-DeRemer served one term in the House before being defeated in 2024 by Democrat Janelle Bynum.
On November 22, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Chavez-DeRemer to serve as the U.S. secretary of labor in the second Trump administration. Chavez-DeRemer was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 10, 2025, 67–32.
Early life and education
Born on April 7, 1968, in Santa Clara, California, Chavez-DeRemer grew up in Hanford, California, and was raised by her father, Richard Chavez, described as a "Mexican American Teamster". Chavez-DeRemer graduated from Hanford High School in 1986. She earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from California State University, Fresno.
Early political career
Chavez-DeRemer was elected to the city council of Happy Valley, Oregon, in 2004. She was elected mayor in 2010 and reelected in 2014. She served as mayor until 2018.
In 2016, after incumbent Shemia Fagan opted not to seek reelection to her seat in Oregon House District 51, Chavez-DeRemer filed to run as a Republican, and won the primary unopposed. She lost by 564 votes to restaurateur Janelle Bynum in the November general election, in what was the most expensive state House race in Oregon of 2016.
In June 2017, Chavez-DeRemer formed a political action committee to explore a gubernatorial bid in 2018. In October 2017, she announced in a YouTube video that she would not run for governor, clearing the primary for eventual nominee Knute Buehler.
In March 2018, Chavez-DeRemer announced her intention to again run for House District 51. She was unopposed in the Republican primary. She again lost to Bynum, by 2,223 votes.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2022
Chavez-DeRemer won the May 2022 Republican primary for Oregon's 5th congressional district. The district, which had been represented for seven terms by moderate Democrat Kurt Schrader, was significantly altered in redistricting after Oregon gained a House seat. It lost its share of the Pacific coastline and the state capital of Salem, but stretched further south to gain rapidly-growing Bend. Schrader lost the Democratic primary to progressive Jamie McLeod-Skinner and refused to endorse her in the general election.
Chavez-DeRemer defeated McLeod-Skinner in the November 8 general election.
Both Chavez-DeRemer and McLeod-Skinner lived just outside the district at the time of the election. Under the U.S. Constitution, members of the U.S. House must be residents of their state, but do not have to live in the district. During the campaign, Chavez-DeRemer promised to move to the district if elected; however, she did not keep this promise and instead maintained two residences outside the district.
2024
Chavez-DeRemer ran for reelection in 2024 against Democratic nominee Janelle Bynum. The race was considered one of the most competitive in the U.S. House and drew more than $26 million in outside spending. The race was called for Bynum on Friday, November 8.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Agriculture
- Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development
- Subcommittee on Forestry
- Committee on Education and the Workforce
- Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment
- Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions
- Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
- Subcommittee on Aviation
- Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management
- Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
Caucus memberships
- Climate Solutions Caucus
- Congressional Hispanic Conference
- Congressional Western Caucus
- Republican Main Street Partnership
- Republican Governance Group
- Problem Solvers Caucus
Secretary of Labor (2025–present)
Nomination and confirmation
On November 22, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced his nomination of Chavez-DeRemer for U.S. Secretary of Labor. The Teamsters Union endorsed Chavez-DeRemer's nomination, with Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien stating, “As the daughter of a Teamster, Lori Chavez-DeRemer knows the importance of carrying a union card and what it means to grow up in a middle-class household.”
She appeared before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on February 19, 2025. When asked in her confirmation hearing about the previously proposed Protecting the Right to Organize Act, Chavez-DeRemer stated that she did not support provisions overturning state right to work laws. The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions advanced Chavez-DeRemer's nomination in a 14–9 vote on February 27, 2025. Chavez-DeRemer was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in a 67–32 vote on March 10, 2025.
Tenure
Chavez-DeRemer was sworn in as the 30th United States Secretary of Labor on March 11, 2025.
In August 2025, Chavez-DeRemer praised Trump for firing the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Erika McEntarfer, after the BLS published its July jobs report which showed poor jobs numbers. Economists and analysts across the political spectrum criticized Trump for firing the BLS head.
Political positions
Chavez-DeRemer is described by The New York Times as "a mainstream Republican" who pitches herself as an independent thinker. In September 2024, she was one of six Republicans to sign a bipartisan letter spearheaded by centrist members of the House of Representatives pledging to respect the results of the 2024 presidential election.
Along with Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, Chavez-DeRemer cosponsored legislation to reform federal cannabis laws. Following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, she was one of 412 House members to vote to express support for Israel.
As of February 2025, Chavez-DeRemer stated that she personally opposes abortion but would oppose a national abortion ban and supports IVF treatments. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, a group that opposes abortion, scored her views with a B.
Agriculture
A member of the House Agriculture Committee, Chavez-DeRemer was one of five House Republicans who signed a letter to the committee leadership in August 2023 opposing the inclusion of the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act in the 2023 farm bill. The EATS Act would have overturned state and local laws regulating the production of agricultural goods traded across state lines, including farm animal welfare laws like California's Proposition 12 that restrict the sale of goods produced in intensive battery cages, gestation crates, and veal crates. The letter argued that the legislation would undermine states' rights and disadvantage farmers who had invested in complying with state laws.
In September 2024, Chavez-DeRemer was one of 11 House Republicans who signed a letter to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines soliciting recommendations for the United States to outcompete China in the development of biotechnologies including cultivated meat. The letter stated that it is essential for U.S. national security for the United States to lead the world in alternative proteins research and development.
Labor
Chavez-DeRemer was the only Republican co-sponsor and one of three congressional Republicans to support the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act) strongly opposed by business groups. The act would give workers more advantages when organizing or joining unions and bargaining with employers, also weakening state right-to-work laws. She also cosponsored the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, which would expand the power of public sector unions. She was supported by Teamsters President Sean O'Brien for the position of Secretary of Labor, who thanked President-elect Trump for the nomination, noting her support of the PRO Act. Her nomination was opposed by some business interest groups.
Personal life
Chavez-DeRemer is married to Shawn DeRemer, an anesthesiologist. They have two children and live in Happy Valley. Chavez-DeRemer is a Roman Catholic. In March 2021, the DeRemers purchased a home in Fountain Hills, Arizona under a mortgage agreement that required them to occupy the property as a primary residence after refinancing their home in Oregon as a primary residence two months earlier.
Electoral history
2024
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Janelle Bynum | 191,365 | 47.7 | |
| Republican | Lori Chavez-DeRemer (incumbent) | 180,420 | 45.0 | |
| Independent | Brett Smith | 18,665 | 4.7 | |
| Libertarian | Sonja Feintech | 6,193 | 1.5 | |
| Pacific Green | Andrea Thorn Townsend | 4,155 | 1.0 | |
| Write-in | 495 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 401,293 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lori Chavez-DeRemer (incumbent) | 54,458 | 98.18 | |
| Republican | Write-in | 1,009 | 1.81 | |
| Total votes | 55,467 | 100.0 | ||
2022
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lori Chavez-DeRemer | 178,813 | 50.91 | |
| Democratic | Jamie McLeod-Skinner | 171,514 | 48.83 | |
| Write-in | 906 | 0.26 | ||
| Total votes | 351,233 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lori Chavez-DeRemer | 30,438 | 42.77 | |
| Republican | Jimmy Crumpacker | 20,631 | 28.99 | |
| Republican | John Di Paola | 11,486 | 16.14 | |
| Republican | Laurel L. Roses | 6,321 | 8.88 | |
| Republican | Madison Oatman | 1,863 | 2.62 | |
| Republican | Write-in | 429 | 0.60 | |
| Total votes | 71,168 | 100.0 | ||
2018
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Janelle Bynum (incumbent) | 14,843 | 53.92 | |
| Republican | Lori Chavez-DeRemer | 12,620 | 45.85 | |
| Write-in | 63 | 0.23 | ||
| Total votes | 27,526 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lori Chavez-DeRemer | 2,453 | 97.77 | |
| Republican | Write-in | 56 | 2.23 | |
| Total votes | 2,509 | 100.0 | ||
2016
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Janelle Bynum | 14,310 | 50.85 | |
| Republican | Lori Chavez-DeRemer | 13,746 | 48.85 | |
| Write-in | 86 | 0.30 | ||
| Total votes | 28,142 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lori Chavez-DeRemer | 3,255 | 96.14 | |
| Republican | Write-in | 96 | 2.86 | |
| Total votes | 3,351 | 100.0 | ||
2014
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Lori Chavez-DeRemer (incumbent) | 3,682 | 94.63 | |
| Write-in | 209 | 5.37 | ||
| Total votes | 3,891 | 100.0 | ||
2010
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Lori DeRemer | 2,749 | 94.63 | |
| Write-in | 156 | 5.37 | ||
| Total votes | 2,905 | 100.0 | ||
See also
- List of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States Congress
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