James Williamson

The race for state House District 55, which represents rural areas of Deschutes, Crook and Klamath counties, pits incumbent Republican E. Werner Reschke against Democratic challenger James Williamson.

House District 55 is a historically Republican district. Voters have not elected a Democratic candidate this century. Both Williamson and Reschke were nominated during the primary by an overwhelming majority within their parties. Reschke received about triple the number of votes, 8,845, as Williamson, 2,929.

House District 55 was redrawn for the 2022 election and now serves about 64,000 residents, including those in southern Deschutes County.

Reschke

Reschke, 59, has served as the representative for House District 55 since that 2022 redistricting. Before that, Reschke served six years as the representative for House District 56. In the last election, he defeated Democratic Brian Lepore with 68.7% of the vote.

He hopes to win reelection and continue to fight against the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

“I do not think our state is doing much right … Oregonians are overtaxed, overburdened and underserved,” Reschke told The Bulletin. “Providing Oregonians with a real choice, a choice that moves us away from this failed and woke agenda and towards policies of prosperity and freedom is why I am running for another term.”

If reelected, Reschke’s main goals will be lowering taxes, curbing the high cost of living in Oregon and ending Oregon’s sanctuary state status. Transportation and the Oregon Department of Transportation’s budget woes, will also be a focus. Reschke believes there is “more than enough money in the state budget to adequately fund transportation without raising taxes.”

Reschke, who lives in Malin outside Klamath Falls, appears unworried about appealing to the wider audience in Deschutes and Crook counties. He believes that those rural populations share the same values — “a strong sense of God, family, county and honor.”

Reschke said he enjoys his life in a smaller, rural town. He and his wife, Ginny, have been married for 33 years and have one son serving in the U.S. Air Force. The couple attends services at Calvary Chapel in Klamath Falls.

Williamson

Little is known about the Democratic candidate outside of the information provided in his candidate filing forms. He is a retired executive chef, lives in Klamath Falls and graduated from Southern Oregon University with a degree in political science.

He is against anything that decreases personal liberty, doesn’t think being a Christian should be a prerequisite to running for office as Reschke has claimed, and says he is a single parent advocating for the working class.

“I am running for the position of House Representative for District 55 because it’s time to elect someone who’s not a professional politician … Most representatives in Oregon are from the upper middle class, are businessmen or are otherwise not representative of most people,” Williamson said in his voter’s guide statement. “If you vote for me, I will understand the real problems of real people, not just those with big checkbooks.”

The Bulletin was unable to get in contact with Williamson to ask what his goals are if elected to serve House District 55. The phone number and email listed in his candidate filing forms are both no longer operational.