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Elizabeth Helgelien

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Elizabeth Helgelien
Helgelien in 2010
Member of the Nevada Senate
from the 9th district
In office
November 2, 2010 – February 17, 2012
Preceded byDennis Nolan
Succeeded byJustin Jones
Personal details
Born
Elizabeth Nicole Schworak

(1983-02-05) February 5, 1983 (age 41)
Oregon, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Daniel Halseth (2001–2011)
Tiger Helgelien
Children3
EducationCorban University

Elizabeth Nicole Helgelien (née Schworak; formerly Halseth, born February 5, 1983) is an American politician. She was a Republican member of the Nevada Senate from November 2010 until February 2012.[1] Halseth is the youngest woman ever elected to the Nevada Legislature.[2] She unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the Nevada Senate in 2018.[3][4] She was a candidate in the Republican primary for Nevada's 3rd congressional district in 2024.

Early life and education

Elizabeth Nicole Schworak was born in Oregon in 1983, where she and her four siblings were raised by her single mother Candy. She graduated from North Salem High School in Salem, Oregon in 2001.

In 2006, after her husband lost his job and her income working for a tow truck company was insufficient, the couple was forced to file for personal bankruptcy and thereafter moved to Nevada.[5] She attended Corban University but did not earn a degree.[6]

Career

Nevada Senate

2010 election

She began her political career running as Elizabeth Halseth in 2010, running for Assembly District 13 in the Nevada Assembly before leaving the race before the filing deadline to the Nevada Senate's 9th district.[5]

During the primary campaign, Halseth released a telephone recording of her opponent, long-term Republican Dennis Nolan, pressuring the ex-wife of his friend, Gordon Lawes, who had been sentenced to a ten-years in prison for raping her 16-year old sister, to "tell the truth" about the rape and that it would be "very financially beneficial" if she did.[7]

Nolan admitted to the call but insisted that he "made up" the statement that she would be paid if she told the truth.[7] After defeating Nolan in the primary, she then went on to defeat millionaire jeweler Benny Yerushalmi who was heavily supported by the Democratic establishment in the general election.[5]

Tenure and resignation

While a Senator, she was a member of the Senate Revenue Committee, Senate Commerce, Labor and Energy Committee, and the Senate Transportation Committee.[2] She announced her resignation from office on February 17, 2012, citing issues with balancing performance of her senatorial duties with being a single mother. She also wrote in her letter of resignation that she would likely seek employment outside of Nevada due to issues with finding employment.

Her resignation followed criticism that she was missing meetings and not returning telephone calls. Her then-husband Daniel Halseth was later indicted on two felony counts: one of coercion and one of battery; he was also indicted on one misdemeanor count of open and gross lewdness.[8]

Post-Senate career and 2018 election

She moved to Alaska where she worked as a realtor, before ultimately returning to Nevada.[3] In 2018, she announced that she would run for a vacant seat as Elizabeth Helgelien in the Nevada Senate's 8th district after the incumbent, Independent Patricia Farley, announced she would retire; she was defeated in the Republican primary by Valerie Weber.[3][4] The Democratic candidate, Marilyn Dondero Loop, would go on to win the seat.

2024 congressional campaign

Main article: 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Nevada § District 3

In March 2023, Helgelien announced that she would run for Congress to represent Nevada's 3rd congressional district, challenging Democratic incumbent Susie Lee.[9] She was endorsed by Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL).[10] Helgelien placed third in the seven person Republican primary.[11]

Personal life

In 2001, she married Daniel Halseth; they divorced in 2012.[9]

In May 2012 after her February resignation from the Senate, she appeared in Maxim's "Hot 100" photo contest appearing in a bikini[12] although she did not win the "Hot 100" contest but was later profiled by Maxim in October 2012 with an additional photoshoot.[13]

In April 2021, her then 16-year-old daughter, Sierra, and Sierra's boyfriend, Aaron Guerrero, were arrested in Salt Lake City for the murder of Helgelien's ex-husband Daniel Halseth in Las Vegas; Halseth was stabbed, dismembered, and then burned in order to cover up the killing.[14] On October 20, 2022, both were sentenced to 22 years to life in prison with the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to all counts on May 25, 2022.[15] In a response to requests for comment, Helgelien stated: "This is the only time I will address this during the campaign. I will always love my daughter. It horrifies me that our system didn't take the abuse she was receiving seriously before it came to this. My daughter was abused by her father. That is a fact. That doesn't excuse all of her actions. At the time, she was a minor and has taken responsibility like an adult. She is now facing the consequences like an adult."[9]

Helgelien is Christian.[5]

References

  1. ^ Latham, Jason (February 17, 2012). "Nevada GOP senator Elizabeth Halseth resigns". Fox 5 News.
  2. ^ a b "About Elizabeth Halseth". Elizabeth Halseth.
  3. ^ a b c Messerly, Megan (August 31, 2017). "Former Republican state senator who resigned during difficult divorce to run again in 2018". The Nevada Independent.
  4. ^ a b "'I hope he went quick,' says friend who found Daniel Halseth's body". Las Vegas Review-Journal. April 23, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d "Elizabeth Halseth unlikely Nevada senator". Las Vegas Review-Journal. January 8, 2011.
  6. ^ "State senator clarifies misinformation about her education - Las Vegas Sun Newspaper". lasvegassun.com. March 6, 2011.
  7. ^ a b Vogel, Ed (May 27, 2010). "Woman criticizes lawmaker over phone call". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  8. ^ McGrath Schwartz, David (February 17, 2012). "Following questions regarding her whereabouts, Las Vegas Sen. Elizabeth Halseth resigns". Las Vegas Sun.
  9. ^ a b c Barth, Megan (March 8, 2023). "EXCLUSIVE: Elizabeth Helgelien Announces Candidacy For CD-3". The Nevada Globe.
  10. ^ Jacobs, Emily (December 26, 2023). "Matt Gaetz GOP primary endorsements pit him against McCarthy yet again". Washington Examiner. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  11. ^ "Nevada 3rd Congressional District Primary Election Results". The New York Times. June 11, 2024. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  12. ^ Vogel, Ed (May 14, 2012). "Political Eye: Ex-lawmaker goes from Senate to sexy". Las Vegas Review Journal. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  13. ^ Maxim Staff (October 24, 2012). "Our Interview with Elizabeth Halseth". Maxim Magazine. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  14. ^ DeSilva, Kristen (April 14, 2021). "Report: Las Vegas teens planned to run away together before man's gruesome killing". Fox 5. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  15. ^ Newberg, Katelyn (October 20, 2022). "Teen girl, boyfriend sentenced for killing girl's father". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
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