Helfrich served on the
Cascade Locks City Council from his appointment in 2011 until November 2012. He was again appointed in February 2013 and served until June 2015, when he resigned and moved to
Hood River. On November 6, 2017, incumbent
Oregon State Representative Mark Johnson resigned. In 2022, Williams retired and Helrich defeated Darcy Long to reclaim the seat. In 2023, Helfrich was one of the few legislators to vote no on SB184.This legislation requires that payments made to independent contractors also be reported to the state of Oregon for child support collecting purposes. Prior to the passage of this bill it was near impossible for the state of Oregon to collect child support from independent contractors who refused to support their children. In September 2023, Helfrich was elected minority leader of the Oregon House of Representatives, replacing
Vikki Breese-Iverson who stepped down a week prior. ==Electoral history==