Former two-term Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer (2005-2013), released a statement endorsing U.S. Senate candidate Reilly Neill as the Democrat candidate to take on current GOP senator, Steve Daines.

We're building a movement from the ground up in Montana. Daines votes against the will of Montana every chance he gets when it comes to abortion. I told my fellow Montanan on the parade route that I wouldn't be running for U.S. Senate if Daines was doing his job upholding the will of the people.

In the Senate, I intend to use every available lever: legislation, budget tools, hearings, legal support, and public pressure to undo the damage of the unpopular Republican budget bill.

Too many dangerous nominations are moving through the U.S. Senate because no Senator is objecting. The Senate minority still has tools. They're choosing not to use them.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Americans stood up on No Kings Day to declare that no president, no billionaire, and no political party stands above the people.

We don't do kings in Montana. We don’t do kings in America. We have a system to keep the executive branch in check. We need to be flexing it.

I won’t sit in Washington protecting billionaires while our schools fall apart. I’ll work to ensure every Montana child, no matter their zip code, has access to a quality education.

Across Montana, the damage is piling up. From the Rocky Mountains to the rolling plains of the Hi-Line, federal funding is the backbone of our communities with basic services that keep small towns running. Montana depends on federal tax dollars for nearly half of our state’s revenue, over $14.1 billion annually in federal support.

I ran, got elected and served as a Democrat in the Montana State House. The Montana Democratic Party has deep roots in the rugged soil of our state, a history shaped by Montanans who believed in fairness, opportunity, and community. From the copper mines of Butte to the wheat fields of the Hi-Line, Democrats have fought for better wages, safer conditions, strong public schools, and access to healthcare for all.

In Montana, we made it clear. The State Legislature passed Medicaid expansion. When it comes to Trump’s "Big Beautiful Bill," will our delegation in D.C. be cowards or will they stand up for the people? As of 2025, more than 250,000 Montanans rely on Medicaid or related programs, including more than 120,000 children enrolled through Healthy Montana Kids and about 70,000 adults covered under Medicaid expansion.

Many Montanans and Americans across the country are losing trust in government, especially as essential federal services are dismantled under the current administration. Last night in Lewistown, I witnessed something that restored my faith in our republic. At a packed public meeting, U.S. Air Force and Army Corps of Engineers officials briefed community members on the rollout of the Sentinel Program, a once-in-a-generation modernization of the land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system that forms a critical pillar of America’s nuclear deterrent.

In eastern Montana, towns are often separated by hundreds of miles of open land. For people living in these rural areas, air travel is more than a convenience. For many Montanans, Essential Air Service is a necessity. For more than a decade, Cape Air has helped keep Montana communities connected to global air travel through the federal Essential Air Service (EAS) program. After airline deregulation in 1978, many major airlines stopped flying to small towns. The government created the EAS program to make sure rural areas were included in the national air system. EAS provides funding to help airlines keep flying in places where it would otherwise be too expensive to run flights.

This week, President Trump signed a series of executive orders that, taken together, mark one of the most alarming federal expansions of power in recent U.S. history. These directives don’t just touch immigration or law enforcement, they strike at the very heart of constitutional governance and the principle that has long separated American democracy from authoritarian rule: the line between military power and civilian life.

In a healthy democracy, the executive branch respects the independence of the courts. Judges do not face arrest for insisting on due process. Law enforcement agents do not circumvent warrants and constitutional protections. Citizens do not fear retaliation for demanding accountability. In Donald Trump’s America, with the cowardly silence of enablers like Senator Steve Daines, these basic tenets of democracy are under direct attack.

Staff cuts, event cancellations, and fading stewardship threaten the bond between land, memory, and people.

Where people are standing up for democracy, economic fairness, and accountability—here’s one thing to remember: The rally is not the end. It’s the spark.Showing up is powerful. Real change comes from joining together to show numbers and support. Lasting change comes from what we do next.

In Montana, we don't take kindly to power grabs. We believe in checks and balances, in local control, in keeping our institutions accountable to us, not to parties or strongmen. The escalating attacks on our judiciary, both nationally and here at home, should set off alarm bells for every Montanan who believes in the Constitution. Trump has made it clear. If given the chance, he will refuse to abide by court decisions he disagrees with. Not since Andrew Jackson has a president openly threatened to defy the courts in this way.

You showed up. You cheered. You listened. You felt connected to something bigger than yourself. For a few powerful hours, we were all reminded that we are not powerless, that people still care, that democracy is worth fighting for, and that there’s strength in standing together. Now the speakers have left the stage. The crowd has dispersed. What do we do next?

Hands off is just the beginning.We are facing a well-funded, coordinated effort to undermine American democracy, dismantle public education, strip away healthcare, and divide our communities. But we’re not helpless.We can fight back—and we are.This worldwide mobilization—millions of people declaring their refusal to let authoritarianism, corporate greed, and government overreach define our future—it was powerful. It was energizing.

I’ve spent most of my life working in Montana communities—running newspapers, cooking in small-town kitchens, listening to farmers, students, teachers, veterans, and union workers tell their stories. I’ve served in the Montana Legislature and published newspapers that took on big issues in small places. Through all of it, one belief has remained constant: democracy only works when people show up. Showing up means more than giving speeches or repeating slogans. It requires asking questions, listening to the answers, and recognizing that no one holds all the answers by virtue of a title or a degree.