Ryan Busse Stops in Glasgow

Ryan Busse announced his candidacy for the governor's seat in September and has since been making his way around the state meeting with prospective voters. The Democratic candidate was in Glasgow Nov. 3 for an informal lunch at the Cottonwood to discuss his platform and hear from interested constituents.

Busse introduced himself to the small group with an overview of his background – raised in rural northwest Kansas, a move to Kalispell, Mont., 30 years ago, his career in the gun industry, his involvement in the Montana state Democratic party over 20 years – and laid out his concerns for the future of Montana. Expressing concern over the state of politics in Montana, he noted the previous legislative session was "combative" and in his opinion, many actions taken at the state level are "emanating from a thin, radicalized slice of politics that does not represent the values of most Montanans."

The candidate opened the floor to hear concerns from attendees, who touched on issues ranging from public lands, property taxes, Democratic party messaging, distribution of state funds to rural areas such as Glasgow, and schools. Public lands, access and wildlife management are a priority for Busse, an avid hunter and outdoorsman. Local sportsmen expressed concern over issues occurring in the highest levels of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks with discussion over resident versus out-of-state use.

Busse was openly critical of the state Democratic party, noting that the organization has said the right things in the past, but actions of party members have not backed up those positions and he seeks to change that. While acknowledging political discourse at the national level has hurt Democrats in the state, Busse said he is focused on keeping his race within Montana, "Luckily, I'm not running a national race. I'm running against [Greg] Gianforte .. My concrn is what's going on in this state."

Property taxes and increasing energy prices were also discussed as Montana counties prepare to buck the new levy system under Gianforte. Busse noted the state had a $2.8 billion surplus but large energy corporations in Montana are seeing tax breaks while homeowners are facing higher bills for both energy and taxes.

Busse expressed disappointment over several issues resulting from current leadership, highlighting nursing home closures, rural connectivity, healthcare and Senate Bill 442, a popular conservation and county roads bill vetoed by Governor Giranforte. "I think the plan of extreme Republicans is to make government less effective so people will want to strangle government even more," Busse said.

Busse encouraged all interested constituents to reach out to his campaign with any questions or concerns as he continued his trip through eastern Montana. The candidate intends to continue traveling the state and meeting with voters throughout the election.