Legislator, 18, starts work in Helena

This time last year, Jacob Bachmeier was a senior who walked the halls of Havre High.

Now, 18, he walks the halls of the state capitol building in Helena as a freshman Montana lawmaker.

Bachmeier, a Democrat, took the oath of office Monday, standing alongside 99 other members of the Montana House of Representatives. It was a moment he later said felt surreal as he made the leap from successful candidate to office holder.

“I felt tickled almost that I was finally here, that it was my first day and now the real work begins,” he said Wednesday.

Bachmeier said that as he and other house members st...