Bishop, Cooney, Gianforte on the ballot for governor: Greg Gianforte

U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte R-Mont., is leaving his office in a bid to become Montana's governor, and faces Democratic Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney and Libertarian candidate Lyman Bishop in the November election.

Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock cannot run for re-election and is challenging U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., in Daines' bid for a second term.

Gianforte lost the 2016 race for governor to Bullock, then won a special election in 2017 to take the seat when it was vacated by Republican Ryan Zinke, who took the office of U.S. secretary of the interior.

Gianforte was re-elected in 2018, but this year is making his second bid for the governor's seat.

"I'm running to create more good-paying jobs here in the state, that's really my focus," Gianforte said. "Given the leadership we've had in the state, we're 44th in the nation in wages, and, unfortunately, our kids and grandkids end up becoming our biggest export, so I've spent life creating jobs here in the state and that's really my focus."

Ads are running attacking Cooney as a career politician and Gianforte said he has spent his life creating jobs here in Montana, and Cooney first ran for office 1976, he never did anything else.

Gianforte retired to Gallatin County in Montana after he and his partners sold their computer software firm in New Jersey, and a few years later he started RightNow Technologies in Bozeman, telling Inc. magazine in 2002 he realized he couldn't spend the rest of his life fly fishing. Oracle bought RightNow Technologies in 2011 for $1.8 billion.

Gianforte said he thinks there is a clear distinction that the voters of Montana will make during this time with the COVID-19 crisis, with so many people out of work and many businesses that have been negatively impacted, with many that have shut their doors to never re-open.

"We need someone with business experience to lead Montana out of this COVID-crisis, and even before that started our economy was not that strong, we need to help Montana realize its full potential," he said. 

An attack against Gianforte reports that in 2002 he said that a sales tax would be good for Montana. 

He said that ad is false.

Long before he was a candidate, in 2002 at a Governor's Income Tax Advisory Council meeting, Gianforte proposed using a sales tax and lowering other taxes in the state. Since then, he has said he opposes a sales tax.

Gianforte also at one point made the comment that the fairest tax is one others pay and he doesn't, apparently as a joke, laughing as he made the comment.

"I have never supported the sales tax, I've been very, very clear." he said. "My opponent has actually, he is the one who has ever introduced, has actually requested legislation be prepared for a sales tax. He spent his career on raising taxes for Montanans."

Gianforte said his record is clear.

In his time in Congress, he said, he has worked with President Donald Trump to lower the tax burdens on Montanans.

"I firmly believe ... that individual Montanans know how to spend their money better than Helena or Washington, D.C., that's why I have consistently voted for lower taxes and I never would support a sales tax in Montana," he said.

Cooney is attacking Gianforte for restricting public access to the East Gallatin River and for filing in 2009 a lawsuit against Fish, Wildlife and Parks while negotiating on that access.

Gianforte said that is a false accusation.

He did not give any details.

He is proud of his conservation record in Congress, he said.

"I firmly believe that public lands have to stay in public hands, and we should be working to increase access to that," he said. "In Congress, I've been able to pass the first Wild and Scenic River Designation here in Montana in decades. I was the only Republican on the Natural Resources Committee to consistently vote for permanent reauthorization of the (Land and Water Conservation Fund), and I worked with the community in Paradise Valley to make sure there wasn't a gold mine on the borders of Yellowstone Park."

He added that he is a pro-natural resources guy, he thinks people can develop natural resources and protect the environment, but also believes the voice of the community is important.

He said in that particular case the community was adamant - they wanted to protect the Yellowstone River.

"When I'm governor, we will focus public policy on keeping the most vulnerable safe and there are precautions we need to take to make sure our schools open safely and our seniors are protected, and those with respiratory or autoimmune deficiencies," Gianforte said. "But, I would be relying more on personal responsibility rather than mandates because the actions that have been taken have caused an economic pandemic, which also needs a cure and that cure is to get our economy going again and get people back to work."

The biggest issues facing the governor's office is not knowing what the financial situation of the state will be, he said.

There are estimates that revenue could be off significantly, he said, adding that there is a constitutional requirement to balance the budget and that will need to be done while protecting essential services such as K-12 education and law enforcement.

"Once we get through this crisis period, the most important thing that I hear as I travel the state is we need more good-paying jobs, and I'm putting forward to the voters of Montana that the best person to balance the budget in an effective way is one who has been balancing budgets his whole career," Gianforte said. "The best person to create more good-paying jobs is someone who has spent his entire career creating good-paying jobs here in Montana - that is what I hear from Montanans as I travel around."

Montanans have a very clear choice here, he said.

If the issue is recovering from the COVID-crisis, getting the economy going and then creatinge more good-paying jobs so the children don't have to leave, who will Montanans trust to do that than someone who has business experience and spent his life creating jobs in the state, he said.

"My wife and I raised our four kids here in Bozeman, we've lived the American Dream, we've been blessed and I firmly believe that to whom much is given much is expected. ... So that is what is driving me, and if the good folks of Montana decide that they want more good-paying jobs and I'm looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting to work," Gianforte said.

He said his running mate, Kristen Juras, is a tremendous asset to the ticket.

She is a fourth-generation Montanan, grew up in Conrad, five members of her family are in the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame and she practiced law in Great Falls for 38 years, and primarily represented Main Street businesses, farmers and ranchers, he said.

He added that she brings deep agriculture roots to their ticket and an understanding of where the friction is between state government, and small business and property owners. 

"We're looking forward to working together to lower taxes, reduce regulations and bring customer service back to state government," Gianforte said.