Tester pushes for people to get out and vote

U.S. Senator Jon Tester attended a get out to vote rally with local, state and federal Democratic candidates Friday evening, where he encouraged everyone present not only to vote, but to find others who hadn't voted and get them to the polls.

Tester said a great deal was riding on this election, which could potentially be a watershed moment in politics, an election that could provide the Montana Republican Party with the super majority they need to change the state's constitution without any say from the opposition.

He said the Montana Constitution is a uniquely well crafted document that ensures Montanans' rights to a clean environment, personal privacy and so much more, and if Montana Republicans get the two seats they need for a super majority, that's all gone.

He also condemned Republicans in the last legislative session who voted in favor of laws designed to make it harder for people to vote with no justifiable reason.

"Democracy works best when more people vote," he said.

Tester also warned that as Republicans gain more political strength they are increasingly looking to privatize a slew of public services, from education to health care to veteran care, and people need to get involved in politics at every level to prevent that.

"When we get good people into the Legislature good things happen," he said.

On the federal level, he said, it's hard to express how concerned he is, with people like Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., possibly staying in power, a man who's made it clear that he does not support Ukraine in its fight against Russia, a fight for democracy.

He said he doesn't take a lot of foreign trips, but he was recently in Poland and spoke with a lot of people who were preparing to fight and die for their democracy, and he can't imagine why any American wouldn't be proud to support such a noble cause.

On the local level, Tester said, he thinks making sure people like Sheri Williams, a Democrat running for a seat on the Hill County Commission against incumbent Republican Diane McLean and independent Les Odegard, win is especially important.

He said being a county commissioner is one of the hardest positions in any government, one that requires a person who can listen to people who disagree with them and work with their own constituents to get things done.

Williams spoke at the rally as well, saying she is running on a platform of increased transparency at the commission and encouraging more community involvement in the affairs of local government.

She said she is still campaigning hard and wanted to thank everyone for the support they've already shown and encouraged them to get out and vote.

Another candidate Tester said he wants to work with on the state level is Democrat Paul Tuss, who's running against Republican incumbent Ed Hill for Montana House District 28.

Tuss said he appreciates Tester's representation in the Senate, especially given how quickly the storm clouds are brewing there.

"I thank my lucky stars that Jon Tester is representing us," he said.

As for the coming election, he said, a lot depends on the result of this election, and they cannot allow Republicans to gain any more power than they already have.

"Public education is on the ballot on Tuesday, economic development for rural Montana is on the ballot on Tuesday, proper funding for our infrastructure throughout the state is on the ballot on Tuesday, reproductive freedom is on the ballot on Tuesday, and most importantly the Montana constitution is on the ballot on Tuesday," he said.

Tuss said in a time when they should be celebrating the reelection of Democrat Krystal Steinmetz, who lost to Hill two years ago, for HD 28, they are instead in the position of trying to prevent Republicans from taking a super majority.

Beyond his concerns about the state constitution, he said he's also worried for Montana's agriculture producers, producers he said consistently do better under Democratic control of the Montana Legislature and the U.S. Congress.

Another Montana House candidate, Democrat Jordan Ophus, running for District 33 against incumbent Republican Casey Knudsen, also spoke at the rally, saying he wants to make participation in government easier for voters and prospective candidates, as well as lessen the influence of money in politics.

Ophus said Montana is better than most state's but countless races across the U.S. are completely uncontested and that state of affairs has hurt democracy.

He said he only started seeing signs for his opponent a couple weeks ago while he's been campaigning across the district for months now.

He also said he wants to work to introduce ranked-choice voting and help introduce an easier registration process for Montana voters, as well as make it easier for third party candidates to run for office.

Ophus also condemned Republicans in the Legislature who voted for Montana Senate Bill 224 which increased the amount that politicians could receive for their campaigns from political committees and raised the threshold for donor information to be requested.

Democrat Dave Brewer, running for Montana Senate District 14 against Republican incumbent Russ Tempel, also spoke at the event and said he hasn't asked for any money for his campaign and intends to carry that philosophy to Helena.

Brewer said he thinks his opponent is a good man, and doesn't want to be overly antagonistic, but he said he thinks he can better represent the interests of the people in the district, whether they're Republican or Democrats.

He said he's willing to work across the aisle to solve problems, and he's been encouraged to hear from several Republicans who said they would vote for him.

As for the eastern congressional district of Montana, Democratic candidate Penny Ronning, running against Republican incumbent Matt Rosendale, independent Gary Buchanan and Libertarian Sam Rankin, said she's glad to be back in Havre and she wants to make it clear how important it is to vote Democrat this year.

Ronning said she's put 24,000 miles on her car since February and still hasn't left Montana, and was most recently in Frazer a town in one of the five reservations within her district, a place that is really hurting, and a place she feels Democrats like Jon Tester can help, if they get the support they need.

She said the agriculture sector in Montana also needs their help, to be given a fair shake for the vital work that they do, not just because they produce the nation's food, but because they are interwoven into the fabric of the economy as well as the nation's health care system.

She said it's imperative to vote Democrat and to get others to do the same for the sake of the health of the country and the health of people's own bodies, but they also need to organize within their own communities to push for what they want.

"Every single one of us is responsible for our democracy," she said.

As for her opponents, Ronning said, Rosendale is not a person that can be trusted to represent the people of Montana.

She said Tester has always been a champion for good causes like anti-human trafficking legislation, but Rosendale hardly ever votes in favor of any legislation that will actually benefit the people of his state.

"He doesn't understand representation," she said.

Ronning said while she was serving on the Billings City Council, growing the largest human-trafficking task force in the state, and getting legislation passed, she's only ever seen Rosendale in Montana once, at a debate they had earlier this year.

She also spoke about another opponent, independent Gary Buchanan who she implied had much darker motives for running than many people think.

"I have multiple opponents, one is a Republican, one is a Libertarian, and one who's out to destroy and weaken the Democratic Party," she said.

She said the fact that Buchanan is being endorsed by former Republican Montana Gov. Marc Racicot is not because the latter supports Democrats, but because he wants to weaken them.