Mike Harmon: Why this ‘liberty-minded’ longshot thinks he has a path in GOP primary
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Kentucky 2023 Primary Election
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The Herald-Leader is profiling the major candidates for the GOP nomination for Kentucky governor. Read the other profiles at Kentucky.com in coming days.
Mike Harmon knows he’s a long-shot in his race to become Kentucky’s next governor.
But the way he sees it, he’s been a long-shot in every race he’s run.
It took him three tries before he was finally elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives in 2003, making him the first Republican to represent his county in 102 years.
And when he first ran for auditor in 2015? He loves to retell that tale.
“I know you’ve probably heard the story 100 times,” Harmon said. “You know, I beat (incumbent Democratic Auditor) Adam Edelen. I only had $45,000, going up against him, who had $800,000. (MSNBC host) Rachel Maddow had described him as the next up-and-coming Southern Democrat compared to Bill Clinton. And, you know, I won, became the first Republican since 1967 to be elected to that spot.”
With more than two decades in state government, Harmon says he’s the most experienced candidate running in the 12-person GOP field — and likely the most conservative, too.
Harmon was the first to declare his intent to run for governor back in 2021, but he still heads into the final stretch of the primary with low poll numbers and few donations. He’s raised just $85,000 and recent polling shows his support among voter between 1.7% and 5%. Both figures are low enough to lead to his omission from recent televised debates.
Still, Harmon sees a lane for himself, consisting of the “Liberty-minded,” evangelical Christians and the “average, day-to-day person that gets up, goes to work every day, they don’t want to worry about politics.”
Harmon on the issues:
- Eliminate state income tax: Harmon applauds the state legislature for working toward a 0% state personal income tax. Harmon supports the incremental approach the legislature has chosen and believes this will make Kentucky more competitive with states like Texas, Florida and neighboring Tennessee.
- Treat all of Kentucky’s regions equally: Harmon said no matter where he travels in Kentucky, people tell him their region feels forgotten. “We need to make sure we don’t forget any part of the state or any one in the state, with setting our priorities, setting our infrastructure, setting our economic development,” he said.
- Education: Harmon said he wants to improve “parental empowerment” in schools, get rid of current Commissioner of Education Jason Glass and restructure the state Board of Education to include people connected to homeschooling, private schools and Christian schools. He also supports school choice in which dollars would follow a student to their chosen school; Harmon acknowledges would require the passage of constitutional amendments to make a reality in Kentucky.
- Abortion: Harmon supports Kentucky’s abortion ban as-is, which only allows for abortions in the event of medical emergencies that threaten the pregnant person’s life. While rape and incest are “tragic” circumstances, any resulting pregnancy is still a life and should be protected, he said.
- LGBTQ legislation: Harmon supports Senate Bill 150, passed by the 2023 General Assembly. The bill bans gender-affirming care for kids under 18, lessons on gender identity and sexual orientation, prevents trans students from using the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity and stops school districts from requiring teachers use a student’s pronouns if they don’t align with their sex assigned at birth. Harmon calls the bill the “save our children omnibus bill.” In schools, specifically, “there’s no need to be talking about sexuality. Whether it’s heterosexual or homosexual or anything like that. Let kids continue to be innocent.”
Who is supporting Harmon’s bid?
Harmon is proud of his endorsements from Kentucky Right to Life Victory PAC and Northern Kentucky Right to Life PAC, two of the state’s leading anti-abortion groups. (Both organizations endorse multiple candidates who meet their criteria; Attorney General Daniel Cameron and Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles are also endorsed by both groups.)
Harmon was the only gubernatorial candidate endorsed by Kentuckians for Freedom, a group that self-describes on its website as “a small group of concerned citizens that have been publishing a presidential newsletter to inform Americans about main political issues since the 2008 Presidential election.” (The same voter guide lists Gov. Andy Beshear as “pro-homosexual” because he is backed by the PAC of the Fairness Campaign, a Kentucky LGBTQ rights organization.)
Rep. Daniel Elliott, who was elected to Harmon’s seat after he became auditor, has endorsed the campaign.
Harmon said he has not actively recruited endorsements from officials because his role as state auditor creates “somewhat of an ethical dilemma.”
What Harmon’s opponents are saying:
As the undisputed dad joke king of Kentucky politics, Harmon’s opponents don’t have much bad to say about the affable auditor.
But candidate Eric Deters, a suspended Northern Kentucky attorney running to the far-right of the field, managed to fill a 55-second YouTube video about Harmon.
“This is going to be brief because I don’t have much to say,” Deters says. “Out on the campaign trail, I’ve got to meet Mike Harmon, our state auditor. He’s a nice guy. ... This guy goes to every single possible event there is. How can you do that and serve people of Kentucky full-time as the state auditor?”
Why Harmon says he is best to take on Beshear:
Harmon believes he’s the best candidate to beat Beshear because he’s the only one in the field who has already bested a high-profile Democrat at the top of their game.
“We’ve got a lot of great candidates. Any of them would be better than what we’ve got now,” Harmon said of the Republican field. “But, I’m probably the most relatable of those that we have in this race currently even though they’re all wonderful. And I’ve said I’ll travel two hours to talk to two people, and I’ve done that more times than I care to mention. I mean, I have, I really have. ... People like to have somebody that they feel comfortable in speaking with.”
Harmon also said he uses his jokes as a way to get folks feeling comfortable enough with him so they can ask truly serious questions about the issues.
Harmon quick facts:
Name: Mike Harmon
Age: 56
City of residence: Junction City, Boyle County
Previous political/public experience: Two-term Kentucky auditor of public accounts, 13 years in the Kentucky House of Representatives
Professional experience: Mortgage and insurance industry professional
Learn more: www.mikeharmon.com, Mike Harmon for Governor on YouTube and Facebook, @MikeHarmonKY on Twitter
Quote: “Some people are defined on the office that they hold; I’m not defined by the office I hold. I truly believe I can — I truly believe I will — win this race. But if I don’t, my world doesn’t end. I’m not a polished politician, even though I’ve been serving longer than anyone that’s running in this race. But if you want someone that loves the Lord and loves his family and loves this country, and in that order, well, I hope you think of me, Mike Harmon. And if you want someone who’s fought for your freedom, your liberty, your conservative values, really, all my life, but politically for 20-plus years, well, I hope you think of me.”
This story was originally published May 9, 2023 at 1:00 PM.
