Q&A with U.S. House candidate Cora Neumann

Editor’s Note: The Daily Inter Lake is republishing select answers from questionnaires completed by the candidates for U.S. House District 1 and submitted to the Montana Free Press. This is the fifth of seven (Libertarian candidate John Lamb and Republic candidate Mary Todd did not submit answers) to appear in print. The candidates are being published in alphabetical order by party.

Cora Neumann, 47, was raised in Bozeman. After spending much of her professional career living across the U.S. and abroad, Neumann returned to live in Bozeman full-time in 2019, where she and her husband are raising their two kids.

Neumann, who has a PhD in public health from Oxford University, spent the last two decades working in international health, economic development and public lands advocacy. She founded the Global First Ladies Alliance and has been an adviser for the U.S. State Department and the George W. Bush Presidential Center, among other professional positions.

Neumann launched a campaign for one of Montana’s U.S. Senate seats in 2019 but dropped out when former Gov. Steve Bullock entered the race.

This biography was compiled with information from a candidate interview and Neumann’s LinkedIn page.

Q: Polls indicate many Americans are concerned about the integrity of the nation’s democratic institutions. Both as a political candidate and as a potential member of Congress, what can you do to promote Montanans’ faith in American democracy?

A: I’ve always said that Montanans are practical, not political. I didn’t know what the political makeup of Bozeman was as a kid — but I did know who was a good neighbor and who showed up to help when the going got tough. That’s the Montana way.

I’m running for Congress because we deserve a representative in Washington who knows what workers and families here go through, who will fight to make sure we have good jobs and wages, who will ensure our small businesses can succeed, and who will make sure that families who have been here for years or generations can afford to stay.

I’m not taking any corporate PAC money, and it’s my commitment to work for you and make sure your values and priorities have a voice at the table. I'm running to be a Montana representative and to fight for every single person in our district, no matter their party affiliation.

Q: Housing costs are an increasing concern for many Montanans. What federal action would you support to promote housing affordability in Montana?

A: I’m running for Congress to make sure Montanans have access to good jobs and wages, our small businesses can succeed, and families who have lived here for years or generations can afford to stay.

Folks are being priced out of their hometowns, whether they’re renting or owning. Housing is a foundational cost we face each month, and when that becomes unaffordable, every additional bill, prescription drug, or gallon of gas hurts.

It's important to make sure we are preserving and even increasing funding for FHA loan programs, CDBG and HOME. From private-public partnerships to tax and investment incentives to USDA rural housing initiatives, I’ll work to make sure Montanans have access to housing we can actually afford. There’s also an inventory problem and supply chain problems. We can do more to take on China and bring manufacturing and our supply chains back to the U.S., which will lower the cost of supplies to build our infrastructure and homes, and create good-paying jobs here.

Q: What do you see as the most important priorities for the management of federal lands in Montana? Should the federal government consider transferring some federally held land into state ownership?

A: Montana has a proud history and legacy of collaborative land management, from block management, to forest collaboratives, to agreements between local, state, tribal, and national governments and private landowners — working together on land, forest, water, and wildlife management.

We know how to manage our land collaboratively, and the transfer of federal lands into state ownership would only cost our state important revenue. The outdoor recreation and timber industries are also important drivers of our economy. These would both be damaged by transfer.

I will always prioritize working with tribal and government leaders to keep our lands, waterways, and wildlife healthy and accessible so that our children, and future generations, can enjoy the natural resources that make Montana so special.

Q: In the event Roe v. Wade is overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, would you support federal legislation that either guarantees abortion access or that, alternatively, establishes legal protections for life beginning at conception? What specific provisions would you like to see included in future federal abortion law?

A: I will always support a woman's right to make decisions over her own body, health, and safety. These rights, and Montanans’ right to privacy, are enshrined in our state Constitution. This draft opinion is an attack on our rights to freedom and privacy, and we cannot let this go without a fight. I’ve spent my career fighting to improve access to health care in rural communities, and that fight continues today.

We know what's best for ourselves and our families. Government mandates should not interfere with personal medical decisions. I'll do everything in my power to defend our right to safe and legal abortion and our right to access quality reproductive care, including voting to codify this from Congress.

Q: Do you believe Joe Biden was legitimately elected president in 2020?

A: Yes.

The Montana Free Press is a nonprofit newsroom based in Helena. To see the questionnaire in full, go to: https://apps.montanafreepress.org/election-guide-2022/.

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Age: 47

Occupation: Public health

Party: Democratic