Democratic candidate Heidi Van Schoonhoven says she is running for House District 58 to offer the voters an alternative on the ballot.

Pendleton’s reign as the prince of political power in House District 58 is waning. The next state representative for the district will hail from the tiny town of Cove in Union County.

Candidates Greg Barreto, the Republican, and the Heidi Van Schoonhoven, the Democrat, live in the community of about 550 and work in nearby La Grande. All indicators point to a Barreto runaway. He won with 71 percent of the vote in the Republican primary and Van Schoonhoven has lacked campaign funding from the beginning. He already sounds like a guy itching to get into the mix of House frays.

“I’m kind of looking forward to challenges,” he said. “I think I will be challenged, and I think I have something to offer at the table.”

The East Oregonian met with the two candidates Thursday — Van Schoonhoven at her home on 14 acres with a mountainside view in Cove, and Barreto and his manufacturing plants in La Grande.

Van Schoonhoven said after the primary she saw an opportunity for a Democrat to compete in the district, but state party officials disagreed.

“I think I was naive there would be more support at the state level,” she said. “At the state level, the message that I got, unfortunately, was I didn’t matter.”

Without connections to funding to operate a campaign, she said, she could only push her cart so far. And she could not compete with Barreto, owner and head of the multi-million dollar Barreto Manufacturing, who was able to loan his campaign tens of thousands of dollars.

Some Cove locals said they like Van Schoonhoven and know she loves the community, but see most residents supporting Barreto. Van Schoonhoven advised voters should think twice before checking a box for Barreto. He now comes off as more moderate in the general election than the primary, she said, but in the primary he ran a “racist” ad denigrating illegal immigrants.

Barreto, though, said he got a bum rap in the press as too extreme and insisted he was no more conservative in the primary than he is now. He said his 30 years of business experience has taught him how to work with people, and that skill is central to the role of a state representative. He also said he can recognize a good deal when he sees it, so if Democrats have a proposal that would help the district or the state, he would work within his caucus to build support.

“I don’t like the word ‘compromise’ as much as I like ‘negotiation,’” he said.

Both said jobs and the economy remain the primary issues in the district and campaign.

Government needs to stay out of the way of business, Barreto said, and create incentives to drive growth, such as tax breaks for hiring workers. Van Schoonhoven said there are opportunities for tourism to bring in revenue.

There are Union and Wallowa County residents who feel it is time for someone on their side of the Blue Mountains to be in the Capitol. Barreto and Van Schoonhoven stressed Pendleton-area folks need not worry about lacking a voice in the House.

Bob Jenson of Pendleton has been that voice since 1997, until he decided not to seek another term this cycle. Barreto said he has met with Jenson and former state Sen. David Nelson, both Republicans and in Pendleton, along with their wives Evelyn and Alice, who oversaw their offices in Salem. Barreto said they gave him a wealth of information about what pitfalls to avoid and how to do the job.

And if Pendleton people doubt he has their backs, Barreto said they can call him.

In the end, he said, each rep’s vote is their own, and those votes need to be for the good of district and the good of the state. Van Schoonhoven said the next rep should honor the people in the district by doing what they want rather than worrying about the next election.