Republican says his lack of experience can help him defeat Harkin

Republican U-S Senate candidate Bill Salier says the way to unseat democrat Senator Tom Harkin is to run someone against him who’s never held office before. Harkin defeated Republican Congressman Tom Tauke in 1990 and Congressman Jim Lightfoot in 1996. Both were conservatives, but Salier says they lost because they had too much baggage. Salier faces Republican Congressman Greg Ganske of Des Moines in the June primary, and he says the Congressman won’t be able to beat Harkin, either. He says Harkin is a professional at taking someone’s voting record and “molding it into a giant fear tag.” Salier says he doesn’t have the record Harkin can use to label him. Salier, a former Marine who served in Somalia, now farms near Nora Springs. He says that real life experience will make him a better lawmaker. He made his comments on Iowa Public Television.