Quist holds campaign kick-off event in Whitefish

A Flathead Valley musician took to the stage on Monday evening in downtown Whitefish for a new reason — campaigning for Montana’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

About 120 people gathered at Casey’s Pub and Grill for a campaign kick-off event for Rob Quist, a Creston-area musician and the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House seat vacated earlier this month by now-Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. Quist is running to finish out the term against Republican Greg Gianforte and Libertarian Mark Wicks.

“They say one of the keys for winning this race is to lose the Flathead by the least amount possible,” Quist said, speaking to a supportive crowd in the deep-red county’s most liberal enclave. “We want to turn that around. We want to win the Flathead.”

Quist is well-known in the Flathead Valley and elsewhere in Montana, where he has toured extensively as a musician. But the Democrat may still have to boost his name recognition on the political stage to compete against Gianforte, the Bozeman businessman who narrowly lost to Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock during last year’s sharply contested gubernatorial election.

During a short speech to supporters, the Cut Bank native cited his roots as a farmer and rancher while focusing his policy statements on expanded health care coverage and the protection of public lands.

“There are states that really don’t have what we have anymore. They’ve lost it and they’re trying to get it back,” Quist said. “The super-rich would look at our mountains and streams and think, ‘You know, this would be really good to own, and fence in. But real Montanans would say, ‘This is our way of life.’”

He pledged to resist attempts to transfer federal public lands to the states, which he said would lead to their “eventual sale.”

Quist is looking to flip a congressional seat for which Montanans have selected Republicans for the past 20 years. While untested in the political realm, he hopes he can attract votes from outside Montana’s Democratic base.

“The issues that concern all Montanans really do not know party lines, or eastern or western geographies,” Quist said. “The people in Sydney or Bozeman, they’re worried about how to pay their mortgages or how to cover their medical bills. In the greatest country on earth, the right to a healthy and productive life should not bankrupt families.”

In an interview after the event, Quist said the Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obama’s landmark health care legislation, has room for improvement. But he noted Montana’s expansion of Medicaid under the law led to 70,000 residents in the state obtaining health insurance.

Referring to the American Health Care Act unveiled by congressional Republicans last week, Quist said, “As the plan stands right now, I wouldn’t support it, because of the fact that it’s just throwing so many Montanans off of health care.”

In his speech, Quist didn’t explicitly mention President Donald Trump, who last November carried the Treasure State by more than 20 percent. But several attendees hoped that electing a Democrat to Congress would serve as a check on the new administration.

A long-time friend of Quist, Jim Hess of Bigfork, said he considers himself a “moderate Republican” while harboring deep concerns with the new president’s policies.

“I think Rob can cross party lines better than probably anybody in the state can,” he said. “It seems to me there are a lot of unpleasant things about Trump and his wing of the party, and I hope enough voters will vote for Quist, even if they’re not Democrats.”

Whitefish native Pam Deitz said she’s never been active in Democratic politics in the past, but her worries about the new presidential administration have pushed her to get involved with the Quist campaign.

“I was so disheartened to see what his agenda was,” Deitz said of Trump. “When he got elected, I was really dismayed, and I didn’t want to be just sitting around crying into my beer.”

Republicans have quickly begun painting Quist as “too liberal for Montana,” noting his prior support for firearms regulations in a state known for its broad support for the Second Amendment. Quist said after his speech that his past remarks referred only to fully-automatic assault rifles.

“It’s a classic example of pulling something out of context and making it a big deal,” he said. Asked whether he would support any gun-control measures, he replied, “I think the one we need to consider is the closing of the gun-show loophole.”

Quist’s campaign stop comes during similar events held in Billings, Great Falls and other cities in Montana.

The Democrat said he plans to visit every county in the state before the May 25 special election.

Reporter Sam Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.