Harmsen hopes to capitalize on unconventional background

In an election cycle that may go down in history as the era of unconventional candidates, Rolf Harmsen is hoping to capitalize on the fact that he’s not a typical politician. 

“In most years I would not be palatable,” said Harmsen, the democratic contender in the Montana Senate District 6 race. 

If recent trends are any indicator, however, the 62-year-old insurance agent vying to represent areas along the southern and western shore of Flathead Lake, may nevertheless garner support on Nov. 8. 

Billing himself as an offbeat Democrat with Christian ideals, Harmsen said he will work to support local issues in Helena, and break up what he calls the “old boys” club controlling the state legislature.

“I think I can really have something with young people,” he said, sitting in his downtown Polson office, decorated with posters of classic rock musicians and piles of surfing magazines.   

A former registered Independent, Harmsen recently switched to the Democratic Party in order to run for the district 6 seat, which opened up after Republican Sen. Janna Taylor decided not to seek reelection. He said he was inspired by the wave of support that emerged for the former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. 

Echoing the message of the U.S. Senator from Vermont, Harmsen said he wants to focus on providing essential public services.  

“If a government can’t take care of its people, what good is it?” he said.

He noted a 2004 state initiative to label sanitary wipes as a luxury item for disabled people. Harmsen, the parent and caregiver of a daughter born with a severe genetic defect, said the proposition was an outrage. 

“Wipes should never be considered a luxury,” he said. “I want to tackle serious stuff like that.” 

In addition to his self-described “wipe and dipes” platform, Harmsen said he wants to return the regulation of municipal water system rates to the state. He points to the city of Polson, which he said will shut of a households’ water if their bill is just hours late. 

“We live on a 20-mile long lake still don’t have water sometimes,” he said.

Although running as a Democrat, Harmsen doesn’t completely follow along party lines. He said he’s in favor of adoption programs over abortion and wants to improve the business climate by blending Christian ideals with capitalism. 

“We need to mix the dog-eat-dog mentality with helping each other,” he said. 

While Harmsen has never dabbled in politics before, he said he also has never shied away from voicing his opinion. 

“I remember my dad yelling at (President) Nixon on television and thinking he was crazy. Then a couple years later I found myself doing the same thing,” Harmsen said. 

Despite running in a traditionally Republican district, Harmsen has kept a low profile, spending a grand total of zero dollars on his campaign, according to finance numbers from the Montana Secretary of State’s office. Harmsen said he doesn’t consider it a competition between Republican candidate Albert Olszewski, an orthopedic surgeon from Kalispell. 

“We’re not opponents, were both citizens running for office,” he said. “If people want to vote for me that’s fine. If not, I’ll be OK.”