Candidates visit Whitepine Grange

Ryan Busse of Kalispell wants to be the next governor of Montana. Busse and State Auditor candidate John Repke visited the Whitepine Grange last week for a campaign stop.

The candidates spoke to a crowd of about 40 people last Thursday, then stayed to talk to community members and answer questions.

Busse, a Democrat, stated that Republicans have made Montana "a playground for billionaires." Busse's campaign slogan is "Get your Montana back." He talked about the importance of rural healthcare and the threat of losing Medicaid expansion, saying that if expansion is not renewed, "the healthcare environment is going to get dismal."

The Whitepine Grange event was Busse's 130th campaign stop since he announced his candidacy last year. "I want to have a state government people can be proud of," he told the crowd. In his travels across the state, he said he's seen programs that could work on the state level.

Busse talked about public schools. "We should be fully funding our public schools so people want to live here." He said every school district in the state is facing funding issues, noting that the state has the worst teacher pay in the country and ended the last school year with 1,004 teacher vacancies. "The Constitution says every kid is due an education," he said.

The candidate said he was a rural kid. "I grew up on the back of a horse and know what it's like to be hard working," he expressed. His running mate, Raph Graybill, is a fifth-generation Montanan. "He could be anywhere in this country, but he's back here."

Busse told the story of his 81-year-old neighbor who has Trump flags along his property line. "Our national politics may not match up, but he's a perfect neighbor," Busse said. When he announced his candidacy, he said his neighbor told him he was proud to have him running for governor. He said he loves this state for the same reason others do, because "it makes us better people. We're going to be the kind of candidates that make you proud. We're practicing what we preach."

Also speaking Thursday was John Repke, candidate for State Auditor. Repke said he is running on his qualifications and character. "The Republicans are not protecting Montana," he told the crowd. He said that healthcare and homeowners insurance are national problems. "We need to make sure Montanans are protected." Repke noted that getting affordable homeowners insurance is a complicated problem that requires experience and expertise. He said he has the experience to work with agencies to help protect Montanans.

Repke, who said he has 40 years of experience in business, also talked about public lands. "I care about protection of public lands. When land is leased to private businesses, we need to make sure the state gets a fair deal." Repke went on to say that "development will come and go, and we need to protect that land."

Repke said that when his wife passed away, he appreciated how important medical care is in Montana. "I have the experience, but more importantly, the character," he stated. Repke also mentioned the need to target scammers to make sure Montanans aren't victimized.

Colleen Hinds of Heron, who is running for House District 14, spoke to guests with enthusiasm and said she is excited to work with people on public lands and help secure freedoms.