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Jubilation reigns at Richardson headquarters By DANI DODGE Mail Tribune Early returns started a rambunctious party at the Dennis Richardson campaign headquarters. A bluegrass band let loose and exuberant campaign volunteers took to the floor and danced. That first run of Jackson County's ballots at 8 p.m. showed him with more than twice as many votes in the state House District 4 race as his opponent, state Rep. Cherryl Walker. "We're having a party over here," Richardson said unable to hide his grin, even in a phone interview. "This confirms what I've been saying all along - that the voters of Southern Oregon feel cut adrift. They want to feel someone is fighting for Southern Oregon's education, economy, rights and liberties." And as the results came rolling in Tuesday night, the numbers justified the early jubilation. Still, Walker waited until nearly 11:30 p.m. to admit defeat. "I very much enjoyed being a legislator and there was a lot of things I wanted to do for the constituents," Walker said. "It's hard to give up a job you love." After 95 percent of ballots were counted, Richardson had 4,920 (60 percent) votes to Walker's 3,301 (40 percent). Richardson was strongest in Jackson County - the biggest portion of the district - where he beat Walker with 62 percent of the vote to her 35 percent. In Josephine County, Walker's home base, she did better but still lost by 45.5 percent to 51.5 percent. District 4 stretches from the Medford airport to the urban growth boundary of Grants Pass. Walker, a retired administrative law judge, was elected to the state Legislature two years ago. Richardson, an attorney, is the Oregon Republican Party treasurer and a Central Point councilman. From the beginning this was a contentious race. As Richardson tells it, Walker called him in August to make sure she had his support for re-election. Instead, he told her he was thinking about running against her. He and other abortion foes felt betrayed when Walker opposed the so-called "informed consent" bill that would have required a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion. When Walker ran in 2000, they thought she was against abortion except in a few specific cases, such as rape or to prevent the death of the mother. Despite the misunderstanding - which both sides chalked up to lying - Walker's first session in the Legislature appeared to be successful by Southern Oregon standards. She was given high marks by anti-tax groups and endorsed by the NRA. Still, Richardson announced his candidacy in September. Then in early March, Republican Party leaders including Oregon Republican Party Chairman Perry Atkinson sent out a press release condemning Walker's use of a letter she had received from the Republican Party in an advertisement. The letter praised Walker's tough stand against tax increases, but Atkinson said that Walker's use of the letter so close to the election made it appear the party endorsed her candidacy. Atkinson called Walker's use of the letter "desperate" and said she was "deceiving the voters of District 4 to enhance her campaign." On the other hand, the press release made clear how Atkinson felt about Richardson: "Dennis Richardson's honesty and trustworthiness is unquestionable." Walker felt betrayed by the Republican Party. She said they shouldn't be running a candidate against her. Fueled by feelings of betrayal, the mudslinging never stopped. Both candidates worked hard to appear to be the first wounded in the war of words, but both engaged in the fight. Large donations by state anti-abortion groups paid for the lion's share of Richardson's campaign. The abortion foes also sent out their own mailers to District 4 Republicans. The fliers harshly criticized Walker's stands on taxes and regulations as well as social issues. Walker received large donations from medical, insurance and business political action committees as well as many legislative campaign funds, including $1,000 from Democrat Alan Bates, a state representative from Ashland. In the end, both candidates collected and spent more than $100,000 making the District 4 race the most expensive house race in the state. Richardson said in the end, it was his values that won the race. "I ran as a pro-life conservative Republican and she is a pro-choice moderate Republican and voters have chosen which of those philosophies are more in line with their own," Richardson said. "They've chosen me as the representative and I'll do everything in my power to represent Southern Oregon well." Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2002 Mail Tribune, Inc.