No statewide sales tax. Not today. Not ever.

I’m running for governor to protect and defend our Montana way of life.

As a fourth-generation Montanan who raised his kids here, that means fighting back against out-of-state special interests who want to block our access and sell off our land to the highest bidder, so that families are still able to make lifelong memories, hunting and fishing, hiking and camping on our pristine public lands. That means continuing to work to protect and expand quality, affordable health care for all, and making sure our public schools are properly equipped to educate the future leaders of Montana.

And that means making sure that working families are never forced to pay a statewide sales tax, no matter how “ideal” any multimillionaires from New Jersey think that might be.

This week, my running mate Casey Schreiner and I were proud to launch “Montanans Against a Sales Tax,” a constitutional initiative to permanently ban a statewide sales tax in Montana.

I’ve vocally opposed a statewide sales tax throughout my entire career in public service. I took a pledge to oppose a statewide sales tax more than 20 years ago, and I’ve voted against proposals to impose a statewide sales tax every single time they came up during my time in the Legislature.

Likewise, Montanans have overwhelmingly rejected a statewide sales tax — twice. Still, Greg Gianforte called a statewide sales tax an “ideal solution” for Montana, and he personally lobbied state legislators to support legislation that would have increased taxes on everyday goods for working families, while slashing income taxes for multi-millionaires like himself.

I had the distinct honor of casting my vote against Gianforte’s legislation, after which I remember looking up into the balcony of the state Senate. I’ve never seen Greg Gianforte that mad before, and he’s not exactly known for his poker face.

That’s the thing about Greg Gianforte — he doesn’t care how much more working families would have to pay in his GianforTAX, as long he secures a good deal for himself. After all, this is the guy who said, “the fairest tax is the one you pay, and I don’t.”

That’s just wrong — and it’s time for us to settle this issue, once and for all. Because of Montanans Against a Sales Tax, voters will finally have the opportunity to say: No statewide sales today, no statewide sales tax two years from now, no statewide sales tax ever.

Just days after Casey and I launched our initiative, Gianforte was asked about his previous support for a statewide sales tax. Rather than being honest about his record, he lied — again.

Montanans deserve leaders with integrity, but Gianforte has shown time and again that he’s willing to lie to voters, the press and even law enforcement to salvage his political career. One thing I can promise you is that we may not always agree, but I’ll have the courage to tell you the truth about where I stand.

When it comes down to it, Casey and I are running to protect The Last Best Place for generations to come, and our opponent is running to offer Montanans less access and more taxes.

We’re running to protect access to public lands, he’s running to block it. We’re running to expand access to affordable health care, he’s running to tear it away. We’re running to defend access to quality public schools, he’s running to privatize them.

And we’re running to ban a statewide sales tax in Montana, forever. I hope we can count on you to join us.

——

Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney is the Democratic candidate for Montana governor.