Senator Tester and Democrats Make Late Campaign Swing Through Glasgow

Senator Jon Tester and a host of Democratic candidates for state-level offices made their case for office at a campaign stop in Glasgow, Oct. 22. Raph Graybill, lieutenant governor candidate; Shannon O'Brien, state superintendent of schools candidate; Ben Alke, attorney general candidate; and Erin Farris-Olsen, clerk of the Supreme Court candidate, made their cases in a public event at the Sean R. Heavey Gallery in downtown Glasgow before the Senator delivered his pitch.

Farris-Olsen was the first democratic candidate to address the group. She spoke of her legal experience which has taken her across the state. She highlighted that her work protecting Montanans' rights had brought her to Glasgow in the past. Looking to the role of the clerk of the Supreme Court, she highlighted her belief that the clerk should serve the court and the people of the state, not personal and political biases.

Alke said he believed he is running against the "worse attorney general in the history of the state of Montana." The fourth-generation Montanan noted his belief that the "old-fashioned" ideas of the U.S. as the greatest source of justice and freedom in the world drive his campaign to represent the state as attorney general. He stressed the need for the Department of Justice to be fair and impartial, not subject to the whims of political agenda or personal beliefs of the chief of that department.

O'Brien underscored her reason to be the state superintendent of schools is "because we can do soooooo much better for our children." A former teacher, she said her core values include the idea that education is the foundation for everything. O'Brien's platform plans to adequately fund schools and pay teachers to build a foundation for a better future.

Graybill, on behalf of gubernatorial candidate Ryan Busse and himself as the candidate for lieutenant governor, spoke next. He spoke of the work the two have done in meeting with county commissioners across the state to drill down on the issues facing officials at a local level, such as nursing home closures and property taxes. "This race is not about political parties ... there is so much at stake: healthcare, education, property taxes," he said. Graybill returned to Glasgow Oct. 29 with Busse, after this edition of the Courier had been sent to the press.

Senator Tester headlined the Democratic event, not missing the opportunity to flash his two-fingered hand to remind voters there were only two weeks left until election day. While the election is important at a national level, he noted it might be even more important at the state level. Issues at the forefront of his campaign include healthcare and hospitals in rural areas, public land access, affordable energy and a woman's right to choose her own healthcare.

Senator Tester said the group of Democrats running for office this season are some of the best he's seen. "These guys are Montanans, they understand the state and they understand rural areas. And they will fight for you if you elect them. But I didn't come here to talk about them, I came here to talk about me," he laughed.

The Senator immediately went to the issue of rural healthcare, stressing that if health insurance is completely privatized as his opponent wants hospitals such as FMDH will struggle to stay open without Medicare reimbursements. On public lands, Tester stressed his desire to keep lands public for multi-use purposes. "Economically, it's worth over $6 billion and 10s of thousands of jobs in the state."

On CI-128, he stressed a yes vote is the right decision because a woman's right to decide on her healthcare is up to her and her doctor and whoever else she wants to bring in on it, not the state or federal government.

Senator Tester spoke of the need for affordable energy offering up options across the board from renewables to fossil fuels to nuclear energy.

"The truth is there's a lot on the line in this election," he said as went into how his seniority in Washington, D.C., has led to his seat on the appropriations committee. As such, he has been able to direct federal funds to Montana. He indicated his desire to see rural America get their share of available funds. "Seniority is really important" to get Montana a fair shake.

The Senator answered a few questions posed by the Courier before returning to the campaign trail. Senator Tester addressed issues as well as attacks against him this season. Looking at how divisive the election cycle has been, The Courier asked what has been most positive for the Senator this year. "The energy. The energy on the ground ... The people that understand things like my role in the infrastructure bill, my role in the PACT act which addresses toxic exposure to veterans, my role in the St. Mary's water project, they understand what I've done. The problem is there are so many ads that have been proven false by the fact checkers, and they continue to come on." He specifically noted the China-Ag land ad, saying he had the bill to ban Russia, China, Iran and North Korea from purchasing land. His bill passed the Senate 97-1 but was stopped in the House by the Republican speaker. He pivoted back to the positive, noting that the people are the positive aspect this year.

"What gives me hope is if the people of the country elect people who will stop the division. The division is something China and Russia are doing backflips over. ... What they want to see is a divided country because they know a divided United States is a weaker United States." Senator Tester stressed the need to focus on the common issues rather than divisive issues to keep America at the forefront in the word in terms of the economy and military.

Senator Tester also said the "kids" around the age of 30 give him hope for the future. "Those kids are so well informed and their values are great and I think the opportunity for those kids in this country is really important that we keep in mind as we make policies moving forward, giving them those opportunities that our parents and grandparents gave us."

On public lands he stressed the need for public voices. Montanans need to speak up to protect Montana lands and Montana values. Not everyone can afford to buy a ranch to afford to hunt on private land, he noted, so we need to keep public lands public and not privatize those.

Senator Tester spoke to protecting the Affordable Care Act and rural hospitals, an issue deeply personal to this reporter. The Senator said that without public healthcare and insurance rural hospitals would become clinics at best. Losing reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid would hamstring nonprofit hospitals' ability to provide care. Ensuring insurance coverage also helps the economy by having a workforce that is able to go to work and perform, he added.

Speaking to tariffs and trade wars in the headlines and the potential impacts to farmers and ranchers, he said, "You gotta have people that understand that tariffs will kill agriculture. In 2018 when I ran last time, the price of wheat was about the same as it was when we took over the farm in 1978 – three-and-a-half to four bucks a bushel – that's not sustainable. Well sustainable only if taxpayers are donating to the cause and that isn't the direction any farmer wants to go. They wanna get their check from the marketplace," he said. "...Tariffs will only increase costs for people and it'll really hurt production in agriculture."

Senator Tester also wanted to stress to voters that the "white farmer thing is totally, unequivocally false." The allegation was made that Senator Tester voted to deny white farmers access to a federal farm aid program. "This is for disadvantaged farmers. I don't care if you're white, black, a woman, Native American, it doesn't matter. You had access to that program. There is not one person in this state that if they had been disadvantaged was turned away."

Early voting had begun in Montana and will continue through Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5. See pages 17 & 18 for sample ballots.