HUFFMAN WINS GOP PRIMARY
Huffman wins GOP primary
By staff report / The Bulletin
Published: May 19. 2010 4:00AM PST
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State Rep. John Huffman appeared to have won the Republican nomination for Oregon House District 59 Tuesday night, coasting to an easy victory over challenger Britt Storkson.
As of 10:40 p.m., Huffman was leading with 93 percent of the vote to Storkson's 7 percent.
Huffman, 53, of The Dalles, was appointed to the seat in 2007 when former Rep. John Dallum moved out of the district. A former radio station owner who now works as a property developer/manager, Huffman defeated Democratic candidate Mike Ahern of Madras in 2008.
Storkson, 55, from The Dalles, ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Wasco Electric Co-op 10 times before challenging Huffman.
“I did what I would usually do, I ran a good race,” Huffman said. “I didn't take his candidacy with a grain of salt, I took it seriously.”
District 59 includes all or part of nine counties, and covers the center of the state from northern Deschutes County to the Columbia River.
Democratic candidate Will Boettner, 59, of Fossil, will face Huffman in the November election. Boettner ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
Huffman said he likes his chances in the general election.
“I've got a lot of plans, but we basically have to wait and see what happens in November — what the makeup of the Legislature is, who gets the governor's seat,” he said.