Lori Chavez-DeRemer

**Lori Michelle Chavez-DeRemer** (; née **Chávez**; born April 7, 1968) is an American politician who has been the 30th United States Secretary of Labor since 2025. She was the U.S. Representative for  from 2023 to 2025. She is a member of the Republican Party. Chavez-DeRemer was mayor of Happy Valley, Oregon from 2011 to 2019.

She is the first Republican woman to represent Oregon in the House. She is one of the first two Hispanic women elected to the United States Congress from Oregon. Chavez-DeRemer lost her congressional re-election campaign in 2024 to Democrat Janelle Bynum.

In November 2024, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Chavez-DeRemer to be his Secretary of Labor for his second administration. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in March 2025.

## Personal life

Chavez-DeRemer was born in Santa Clara, California. She was raised in Kings County, California. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in business administration from California State University, Fresno.

Chavez-DeRemer is married to Shawn DeRemer, a doctor. They have two children.

Chavez-DeRemer is a Roman Catholic.

## Local 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 was mayor until 2018.

In 2016, after state representative Shemia Fagan decided not to run for re-election for the Oregon House of Representatives, Chavez-DeRemer ran as a Republican to replace her. She lost by 564 votes to businesswoman Janelle Bynum in the November general election.

Chavez-DeRemer thought about running for Governor of Oregon in 2018 and formed a political action committee. However she decided not to run.

In March 2018, Chavez-DeRemer announced her plan to run again for the state house. She again lost to Bynum, by 2,223 votes.

## U.S. House of Representatives

Chavez-DeRemer ran to be the U.S. Representative for Oregon's 5th congressional district in 2022. The district was represented by Democrat Kurt Schrader, however he lost the Democratic primary to progressive Jamie McLeod-Skinner. Chavez-DeRemer beat McLeod-Skinner in the November 8 general election.

Chavez-DeRemer ran for reelection in 2024 against Democratic nominee Janelle Bynum. The race was seen as the most competitive in the U.S. House and raised more than $26 million. Chavez-DeRemer lost the election to Bynum by 9,475 votes.

### Nomination

On November 22, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Chavez-DeRemer to serve as the Secretary of Labor under his second administration.

Chavez-DeRemer appeared before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on February 19, 2025. When asked by multiple senators about the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which she co-sponsored while serving in Congress, Chavez-Deramer said that she no longer supported parts of the act, such as overturning state right to work laws and did not give a direct answer as to whether she still supported the bill as a whole.

The Senate committee advanced her nomination in a 14–9 vote on February 27, 2025. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in a 67–32 vote on March 10.

### Tenure

Chavez-DeRemer was sworn in as the 30th United States Secretary of Labor on March 11, 2025.

## Other websites

- Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer  official U.S. House website
- Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Congress

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **name**: Lori Chávez-DeRemer
- **image**: Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer official portrait 2025 (54382448706).jpg
- **caption**: Official portrait, 2025
- **office**: 30th United States Secretary of Labor
- **president**: Donald Trump
- **deputy**: Keith Sonderling
- **term start**: March 11, 2025
- **predecessor**: Marty Walsh
- **state1**: Oregon
- **term start1**: January 3, 2023
- **term end1**: January 3, 2025
- **predecessor1**: Kurt Schrader
- **successor1**: Janelle Bynum
- **office2**: Mayor of Happy Valley, Oregon, Happy Valley
- **termstart2**: January 18, 2011
- **termend2**: January 15, 2019
- **predecessor2**: Rob Wheeler
- **successor2**: Tom Ellis
- **office3**: Member of the Happy Valley, Oregon, Happy Valley City Council
- **termstart3**: 2005
- **termend3**: 2011
- **birth name**: Lori Michelle Chávez
- **birth place**: Santa Clara, California, U.S.
- **party**: Republican Party (United States), Republican Party
- **spouse**: Shawn DeRemer
- **children**: 2
- **education**: California State University, Fresno