The House seat representing Central Oregon in the statehouse will remain in Republican hands.

Early returns showed Republican Cheri Helt capturing 60 percent of the vote Tuesday night, compared to her Democratic challenger Nathan Boddie’s 23 percent of the vote and Amanda La Bell, of the Working Families Party, who was trailing with 14 percent.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR: Become a Sponsor

The seat was previously held by Republican gubernatorial candidate Knute Buehler. Democrats targeted it early as one of the key races they were hoping to flip in their quest to gain supermajority status, which would give them the ability to raises taxes without GOP votes. The district, which encompasses Bend, went for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election by almost 20 points. But the race took some unexpected turns and made Helt's victory nearly a foregone conclusion.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR: Become a Sponsor

Helt campaigned primarily on improving the state’s education system.

“We’re 48th in the nation for graduation rates and we have to stop accepting that,” Helt told OPB during the campaign. “We’ve got to get some money into our classrooms and we’ve got to get the right programs, as well. It’s not just about money. It’s about making sure that we have programs and options for kids that kids believe in.”

In an October interview, Helt told OPB that she is pro-choice on abortion rights and did not support President Trump in 2016. Helt registered to vote as a Democrat in Deschutes County from 2008 until 2013.

The newly elected lawmaker owns restaurants in Bend, has been a member of the Bend-La Pine school board and is a mother of three.

The Democratic establishment ended up pulling support from its candidate, Boddie, in the early stages of the race. They pushed him to drop out after allegations of inappropriate conduct surfaced, ranging from making homophobic slurs and sexist remarks. Later, a woman, Moey Newbold, came forward saying Boddie groped her at a bar. Boddie, a physician and a Bend city councilor, responded by lashing out at her and accusing her of having substance abuse problems. Democrats hoped he would withdraw from the race and they could replace him; however, he chose to keep his name on the ballot.

After Boddie made it clear he wasn't going to step aside, Democrats threw their weight behind a third-party candidate, Amanda La Bell of the Working Families Party. La Bell, however, dropped out of the race after reports surfaced that she had lied in Oregon's Voter Pamphlet about her education and questions were raised about how she handled money for the nonprofit she ran. Despite dropping her bid for the seat, her name also remained on the ballot.