Lori Chavez-DeRemer Bio
Lori Michelle Chavez-DeRemer (born April 7, 1968) is an American politician and a member of the Republican Party who has served since 2025 as the 30th United States Secretary of Labor. She previously represented Oregon’s 5th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2023 to 2025, becoming the first Republican woman to represent Oregon in the House and one of the state’s first two Hispanic women elected to Congress. Before her time in Congress, Lori Chavez-DeRemer served as mayor of Happy Valley, Oregon, from 2011 to 2019, building a reputation as a pragmatic local leader.
She was nominated to lead the Department of Labor by President Donald Trump in November 2024 and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 10, 2025, by a vote of 67–32. Her career has spanned city government, state legislative campaigns, federal office, and now a Cabinet position in the executive branch.
Early Life and Background
Lori Chavez-DeRemer was born on April 7, 1968, in Santa Clara, California, and grew up in Hanford, California. She was raised primarily by her father, Richard Chavez, who has been described as a Mexican American Teamster. Her father’s involvement in the Teamsters union would later play a symbolic role in her political identity and her appeal to organized labor.
She graduated from Hanford High School in 1986 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from California State University, Fresno. Her academic background in business administration gave her a foundation in management and economics that would inform her later work in local government and on labor-related policy in Congress.
Path to US Politics
Lori Chavez-DeRemer entered elected office in 2004 when she was elected to the Happy Valley, Oregon, city council. In 2010, she won election as mayor of Happy Valley and was reelected in 2014, serving in that role until 2018. Her tenure as mayor established her as a visible Republican figure in a region of Oregon that had trended increasingly competitive for the party.
In 2016, she filed to run for Oregon House District 51 after the incumbent stepped aside, winning the Republican primary unopposed. She narrowly lost the general election to Democrat Janelle Bynum by 564 votes in what was Oregon’s most expensive state House race that year. In 2017, she created a political action committee to explore a 2018 gubernatorial bid but ultimately decided not to run, clearing the Republican primary for Knute Buehler. She returned to the District 51 race in 2018 and lost to Bynum again, this time by 2,223 votes.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer Career
Early Career (2004–2018)
Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s early political career was rooted in local government in Happy Valley, Oregon. She joined the city council in 2004 and was elected mayor in 2010, winning reelection in 2014 and serving until 2018. Her time as mayor focused on managing one of Oregon’s fastest-growing communities and gave her executive experience before she sought higher office.
Her two state House campaigns against Janelle Bynum in 2016 and 2018, both narrow losses, sharpened her campaign skills and expanded her name recognition in Oregon politics. The experience positioned her for a successful run for federal office in 2022.
Congressional Breakthrough (2022–2024)
Lori Chavez-DeRemer won the May 2022 Republican primary for Oregon’s 5th congressional district, a seat that had been held for seven terms by moderate Democrat Kurt Schrader. The district had been redrawn after redistricting, gaining the fast-growing city of Bend while losing its share of the Pacific coast and the state capital of Salem. Schrader had lost the Democratic primary to progressive Jamie McLeod-Skinner, who ran without the support of the incumbent.
In the November 8, 2022, general election, Lori Chavez-DeRemer defeated McLeod-Skinner to flip the seat for Republicans. She became the first Republican woman to represent Oregon in the U.S. House and one of the state’s first two Hispanic women elected to Congress, alongside Democrat Andrea Salinas. Her victory reflected the district’s competitiveness and her ability to appeal to moderates.
Secretary of Labor Era (2025–Present)
On November 22, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Lori Chavez-DeRemer to serve as the 30th United States Secretary of Labor. The Teamsters Union endorsed her nomination, with General President Sean O’Brien citing her background as the daughter of a Teamster and her support of labor organizing. She appeared before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on February 19, 2025, and the committee advanced her nomination on February 27 by a 14–9 vote.
The full U.S. Senate confirmed Lori Chavez-DeRemer on March 10, 2025, by a 67–32 vote, and she was sworn in as Secretary of Labor on March 11, 2025. In office, she has emphasized her support for the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which she cosponsored in the House, and her commitment to expanding collective bargaining rights. Her tenure has also included controversy, including her support for the dismissal of Bureau of Labor Statistics head Erika McEntarfer in August 2025 after a jobs report revision and ongoing internal complaints about her conduct in office.
Notable Events and Milestones
Her 2022 victory made her the first Republican woman to serve Oregon in the U.S. House, and her 2025 confirmation made her the 30th United States Secretary of Labor. Her close 2024 loss to Janelle Bynum in a race that drew more than $26 million in outside spending highlighted her competitiveness in a closely watched contest.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer Political Wins
House of Representatives Highlights
Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s most prominent federal win came on November 8, 2022, when she defeated Jamie McLeod-Skinner to claim Oregon’s 5th congressional district. The victory flipped a long-held Democratic seat in a newly drawn, more competitive district. She served one term in the House before being defeated in 2024 by Janelle Bynum.
Other Wins and Achievements
She won election to the Happy Valley city council in 2004 and won the mayoral races of 2010 and 2014, serving until 2018. She also won the 2022 Republican primary for Oregon’s 5th congressional district unopposed in the general sense after a contested primary field.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer Family
Family Background and Heritage
Lori Chavez-DeRemer was raised by her father, Richard Chavez, a Mexican American Teamster, whose union background became a defining part of her political brand. Her Hispanic heritage and her father’s labor ties helped her connect with both minority voters and working-class union members in Oregon and beyond.
Personal Life
Lori Chavez-DeRemer is married to Shawn DeRemer, an anesthesiologist, and the couple has two children. The family resides in Happy Valley, Oregon, and Lori Chavez-DeRemer is a practicing Roman Catholic. In 2021, the DeRemers confirmed they had purchased a home in Fountain Hills, Arizona, for her planned retirement.