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Nasty politics alleged in House race By PETER WONG The candidates may be different this election, but tactics have transformed the race in House District 52 into the same type of rough-and-tumble campaign that voters have seen before. Republican challenger Jane Hunts of Trail has not been shy about going after Democratic incumbent Judy Uherbelau of Ashland. "We are continuing with our game plan and we are waging a positive campaign," Hunts asserted Tuesday as the campaign enters its final week. But Hunts' aggressiveness in her direct-mail brochures, radio ads and joint public appearances with Uherbelau has drawn complaints _ most notably a protest by about two dozen people standing in front of the Old Ashland Armory, where a reception for Hunts was held Monday night. "We were there as a silent presence _ or, as we Quakers call it, to bear witness," said Sean Parlaman of Ashland, an organizer who specified he is neither a Democrat nor a Republican. "Without articulating a political platform of her own, Hunts has conducted a campaign of personal attacks against Judy Uherbelau and knowingly misrepresented her voting record." Hunts' response Tuesday: "Everyone has the right to free speech." Earlier in the campaign, Hunts said one of the barriers to her own candidacy was the generally positive image that Uherbelau has enjoyed among voters in the district. "When I ask them which policies or votes of hers they like, they say they have no clue about anything she did," Hunts said. "So you have to educate people about the details of what is going on." But Uherbelau said Hunts not only has criticized her voting record during two terms in the House, but has distorted votes on specific bills and referred to her as "an ex-nurse and trial lawyer." Uherbelau is a registered nurse, though not currently practicing, and a lawyer in civil practice. Uherbelau has signed a code of campaign conduct promoted by the Oregon Alliance for Better Campaigns, but it could not be determined Tuesday whether Hunts signed it. The code, authorized by the League of Women Voters of Oregon, specifies that "candidates should not use or permit use of any campaign material or advertisements which misrepresent, distort or otherwise falsify the facts.'' Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA