Former congressional candidate may run again

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — Former California 10th Congressional District candidate David J. Harmer said he may run again, but this time it would be for the 11th Congressional District seat.

He believes it is his obligation and calling as a free American Mormon.

Harmer spoke to the East Bay BYU Management Society on Tuesday, Dec. 8.

Introduced as a candidate who ran the race with integrity that was "unbecoming of a politician," Harmer then detailed the difficulties he faced in his bid for the 10th District seat.

Harmer said he ran because he was prompted by the Spirit. He said his family is currently studying Captain Moroni, and like Captain Moroni, American Mormons must hoist the Title of Liberty. "Freedom is a pre-condition of everything else God has in his plan," he said.

He said running again is a bit like being asked to play the organ at stake conference; if he declined he would feel bad as he believes it is his calling.

"It is not about me, but it is about someone that is strong raising the Title of Liberty," he said.

He urged the audience to get and stay involved. "As members of the church, I hope we feel called for public service when there is encroachment in our lives; we need to respond. Our freedoms are under siege," he said. "We need to seek out honest people to hold public office."

Harmer said he considers himself a Christian first, an American second, a conservative third and finally, a Republican.

Mormon candidates have an understanding that is unique because members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints know we are all children of God, he said.

Harmer said the 10th District race was difficult to try to win because there was only a 28 percent Republican registration — he disagrees with the division of the district, which he believes favors candidates chosen by politicians rather than constituents.
He was also going up against a sitting lieutenant governor who had the support of the trade unions.

Nevertheless, he won 43 percent of the vote — a percentage that took approximately $838,000 and 3,061 donors, he said. (Harmer joked that his friends were really generous, but if he ran again he would "have to develop a whole new set of friends.")

On a serious note, he said he felt humbled by the investment of money and trust that people put in him. Harmer said he pledged that when he started that he would leave the Republican Party better off than he found it. He believes he succeeded at that.
For every person who was negative, there were six who viewed his faith positively, he said.

He talked about an older woman who attended one of his meetings and asked him if he was worried because Mitt Romney is a Mormon. Harmer responded that he, too, is Mormon and that she should think about it and contact him if she would like to discuss it further.

He said the Republican Party brand is currently damaged because of the explosion of federal spending under George W. Bush and Republicans who were in power.