Election mail bag June 28

Now that the primary is over, it’s even more clear that Greg Gianforte should be the choice of every Montanan for Governor. His opponent, Mike Cooney, is the ultimate career politician. He’s held office for over 40 years. And yet after 40 years of “leadership” he thinks he has the solutions to the problems facing everyday Montanans.

It’s clear that Cooney has had more than enough time to take on these challenges, and he has failed. Greg Gianforte isn’t a lifetime politician. He built an incredibly successful business, RightNow Technologies, from the ground up. He brings fresh ideas to the table at a time when they are in short supply.

Cooney has had over 40 years in public service and has achieved very little for the people of Montana. We are facing serious challenges ahead of us, and we need our next leader to have a track record of proven results. Greg Gianforte has the experience, that our next Governor must have to get the economy moving again. He is a born problem solver, and exercises ingenuity in everything he does. Mike Cooney on the other hand has had over 40 years and hasn’t solved a thing.

—Daniel Duffey, Helena

I am writing this letter to help ensure that Montana voters are educated about Senator Steve Daines’ terrible record when it comes to supporting our public lands.

Daines’ recent support for the Land and Water Conservation Fund is an anomalous blip in his overall record to not only disregard initiatives to move wilderness forward but to actively dismantle current protections.

In 2014, he blocked the S.37 Forest Jobs and Recreation Act sufficiently opposing Montana solutions that would have protected new wilderness, recreation areas, and put more logs on trucks for our mills.

In 2015, he cast the deciding vote in favor of an amendment that would have enabled the sale, transfer, or exchange of lands in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area and the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge.

In 2017, he co-sponsored a bill that would have gutted the Antiquities Act, a bedrock piece of legislation for conservation in America that has allowed both Republican and Democrat presidents to designate national monuments.

In 2018 and 2019, he blocked Senator Tester’s Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act (BCSA) from receiving a Senate floor vote which would have added nearly 80,000 acres to the Bob Marshall, Scapegoat and Mission Mountains Wildernesses, and is supported by 75% of Montanans.

In 2020, he again blocked the BCSA from receiving a Senate hearing in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee where he sits as a member of the majority.

We need senators who consistently support, believe in, and vote for Montana’s public lands. Don’t be fooled by Daines’ recent pitch to present himself as an advocate. Know the facts.

—Amy Pearson, Whitefish

As a grandparent and great grandparent, the race for superintendent of public instruction is very important to me. The education of our youth is something that should be on the forefront of everyone’s mind this election season.

Melissa Romano has demonstrated her commitment to our public school system and our children time and time again. Her campaign has over a thousand different donors with her primary base of support being educators. As someone running for the top education job in the state of Montana this speaks volumes.

Her opponent, Elsie Arntzen, is sorely lacking in support from the education community in Montana. She has less than 100 donors and none of them are current educators.

We need someone at the helm of education to lead the way and ensure all our children have access to a quality education. Romano’s goals of a public preschool option, mental health services in schools, and teacher retention and recruitment clearly resonate with educators across the state of Montana.

This November vote for a champion of educators, Melissa Romano.

—Diann Gerbo, Somers

I have known and worked with Greg and Susan Gianforte for four years. I trust them as valued friends and have benefited greatly from their leadership. I have been blessed to hear Greg speak at many events across the entire state. I have watched the way he interacts with people as he answered their questions.

The first thing I saw was their servant’s heart to help all Montanans prosper and have a chance to live the American dream. They built a business that is still helping others build businesses and prosper. They have encouraged families to move back to Montana, to be close to their roots and earn high wages.

Greg is honest and as I follow his leadership with Reagan’s 11th Commandment, speak no evil of other Republicans, it helps me stay positive and focused on our campaign. It removes the stress of negativity.

Greg has the experience to bring Montana back from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. He understands how to grow our economy into even better than it was by putting workers and businesses first. Being a true Conservative, he will remove unnecessary regulations, preserve access to our public lands, defend our Second Amendment rights, and remove sanctuary cities. He is concerned about our drug problem and how it affects families.

Greg has secured federal relief for families and small businesses and supported critical new investments to support hospitals and health care workers. He has worked hard in his two terms as our lone Congressman and he is committed to seeing our recovery through as Montana’s next Governor.

—Pat Earnest, Hamilton