The race for Oregon House District 54 already has one Democratic candidate filed in the race—and now, one Republican is announcing her run for the Republican nomination.
Cheri Helt, who currently sits on the school board for Bend-La Pine Schools, announced today that she’s seeking the Republican nomination for the seat currently held by Rep. Knute Buehler. Buehler is vacating his seat to run for the Republican nomination for Oregon governor.
According to a release from Helt’s campaign, Helt filed for the nomination today, though as of 4 pm Tuesday, her name had not appeared among documents filed with the Oregon Secretary of State. Helt is the owner of Zydeco Kitchen & Cocktails in downtown Bend.
Helt’s announcement included an interest in focusing on high school graduation rates, teacher pension reform and health care costs as key priorities, as well as addressing housing issues that continue to plague Central Oregon.
“We all know that Bend is changing – and with growth comes both opportunities and challenges,” Helt wrote in the Jan. 30 release. “Simply put, the cost of living in our community is growing out of reach for too many of our neighbors. The rising cost of housing – whether renting or owning – is a major problem for many. I’ll work with local officials and community leaders to pursue state policies to keep Bend affordable for the young and old as well as longtime residents and new arrivals experiencing the cost of living squeeze.”
The representative for District 54 represents Bend in the Oregon House. Democrat Nathan Boddie, a Bend city councilor, earlier announced his bid for the Democratic nomination in the race.
This article appears in Jan 24-31, 2018.









Co-Organizer of the Women’s March and Science March here. Cheri Helt skipped the Science March because she refused to take a written stand on human caused climate change in our application.
Cheri Helt skipped out on a town hall meeting with Nate Boddie.
Cheri Helt is attempting to capitalize on anonymous anti-LGBT accusations against her opponent by touting her support for the LGBT Community. Yet Cheri Helt also declined her invitation to Pride! Central Oregon.
Cheri Helt is a false moderate, like her predecessor. She is a conservative through and through, and dodges questions and stances so she can maintain a false sense of “level headed bipartisan politics.”
Vote for Nate Boddie!