Kitty Harmon (Scott Chia -- The Beacon)
By Laura Frazier, Staff Writer -- frazier13@up.edu
Kitty Harmon, UP's School of Engineering program counselor, lost the race for State Representative of House District 44 on Tuesday.
Harmon lost to Democrat incumbent Tina Kotek, who was first elected in 2007.
Harmon pulled in 3,131 votes for 19.43 percent overall, whereas Kotek had 12,928 votes for 80.21 percent. There were 59 write-in votes for .37 percent.
Harmon was slightly surprised at the results, but recognizes the high percentage of Democratic voters in her district.
"I thought I might have done a little bit better," she said. "But I think I did pretty darn good."
Though the results were not in her favor, Harmon is content with her efforts. "I fought a good fight," she said.
"I had a chance to serve my constituents."
Harmon was listed on both the Republican and Independent ballots and is also a tea party activist.
Harmon's platform addressed budget issues and suggested reprioritizing funding. Harmon wanted to allocate more funds to programs such as law enforcement and firefighting.
To cut spending, Harmon advocated for the possible removal of alternative fueling stations, which provide biodiesel or electricity for vehicles that do not run on gas. She believes they are not a priority.
Harmon counts the campaign as a learning experience and may consider running in the future.
"I learned a lot of things and met a lot of great people," she said. "If nobody better comes along, I may try to run again."
Overall, Harmon is proud of her campaign. "I think I did the best I could," she said.
