OPINION: The Worst Congressional Candidate Ever?

As Election Day draws closer, attack ads will begin filling the airwaves alleging candidates of any number of improprieties, shortcomings, and personal failures.

But there is one candidate for Congress whose past is more scandal-plagued and disturbing than any ad could ever convey: a past filled with infidelity, lies, abandoning constituents, and raising a teenage daughter who committed a brutal murder. And that candidate is running in one of the most pivotal races in America.

That candidate’s name is Elizabeth Helgelien, and she’s a Republican candidate for Congress in Nevada’s critical 3rd congressional district.

My name is Christine Halseth, and I am the mother of the late Daniel Halseth. He was a loving father, an incredible musician, a talented photographer, and an avid outdoorsman. He should’ve turned 48 in January.

Daniel’s sincere smile and willing heart made every stranger a friend, and every friend, family.

My son was married to Elizabeth for 11 years, and they had three children together. Two decades ago, Elizabeth was seen as a rising star in local Republican politics. In 2010, she pulled off a major upset by knocking off an incumbent state senator to become the youngest Republican State Senator in Nevada history.

Soon after, it all came crashing down.

Daniel and Elizabeth divorced after my son discovered she was serially cheating on him during her time in Carson City while he stayed home in Las Vegas as the breadwinner and to take care of their three young children. Stories surfaced in the state capital of Elizabeth allegedly having affairs with lobbyists, staffers, and even several other lawmakers.

It was quite the hypocritical turn for someone who was elected to state senate on a platform of family values and who called for then-U.S. Sen. John Ensign to resign after his extramarital affair became public.

During that time, Elizabeth was also caught lying about her education, claiming she was pursuing an MBA when she didn’t even have a bachelor’s degree.

Not only did Elizabeth’s apparently extensive infidelity tear her family apart, but it also significantly affected her ability to do the job she was elected to do. Elizabeth regularly missed crucial committee meetings and bill hearings. Then-Assemblywoman Marilyn Kirkpatrick told media outlets she was struggling to schedule an interim committee meeting because Elizabeth, who was appointed to sit on the committee, couldn’t be bothered to return calls.

After her regular absences during the legislature, failing the constituents she was elected to represent, and the public humiliation that came due to her cheating scandals, Elizabeth was forced to resign.

While Elizabeth couldn’t find time to complete her job duties, she did manage to pose nearly nude for Maxim magazine just three months after she stepped down in embarrassment from the legislature. Elizabeth later married one of her lovers, a real estate professional named Tiger Helgelien, and moved to Alaska.

In 2018, Elizabeth moved back to Las Vegas and campaigned to return to the state senate, but finished a distant third in a three-person GOP primary. That, it seemed, would be the end of her disastrous political career.

I wish this were the end of the story, but unfortunately, it’s just the tip of a tragic iceberg.

In late 2020, Daniel moved back to Nevada from Texas at the request of Sierra, the 16-year-old daughter he shared with Elizabeth. Sierra sent him texts claiming she was experiencing mental and physical abuse at the hands of her mother. A judge ordered counseling between Elizabeth and Sierra.

In April of 2021, deeply affected by her mother’s scandalous infidelity and her parents’ public divorce, Sierra and her 18-year-old boyfriend murdered Daniel in cold blood, stabbing him more than 70 times. Following the stabbings, they dismembered and burned my son’s body, then bragged and laughed about the brutal killings on social media.

To make matters worse, on the day she was sentenced to life in prison, Sierra alleged that abuse by Daniel contributed to the murder. Later that day, one of the defense attorneys for Sierra’s boyfriend came up to our family to share his condolences and confirmed what we already knew. According to this attorney, who worked for 18 months to unearth negative information about Daniel in the hopes of a lighter sentence for his client, Sierra never mentioned any abuse by her father, and all evidence indicated that Daniel was a caring and loving father.

There is nothing like the pain of having to bury your own child, especially at the hands of your granddaughter, but Elizabeth’s response to the murder only made things worse for me and my grieving family.

At the time of the murder, detectives claimed they were shocked at Elizabeth’s lack of emotion. After her daughter was sentenced to prison, Elizabeth told the Review-Journal, “The system failed her at every turn. They could have saved her, and they failed her.” There was no mention of my son, our family, or any remorse whatsoever after her daughter’s unspeakable actions. There was also no mention that Elizabeth had primary custody of the child for years and clearly failed in her role as a mother.

In other words, Elizabeth raised a murderer and now wants to be a member of Congress.

A recent episode of Investigation Discovery’s “American Monster” even detailed the murder and Elizabeth’s disturbing influence as a mother.

These alarming truths are just a portion of Elizabeth’s troubling past.

Elizabeth raised a murderer, was forced out of office after a series of sex scandals, was caught in a series of lies, posed for lewd photographs, and has already proven to be unelectable.

I hope for my family’s sake, and out of respect for voters and the office she’s seeking, that Elizabeth will do the right thing and drop out of the race for NV-3. If she doesn’t, in honor of my dear son Daniel, my prayer is that NV-3 residents vote against her. We cannot, in good conscience, allow Elizabeth Helgelien to represent honest, decent Americans in Congress.