I’ve now traveled across the state as much as I did as a write-in candidate in eastern Montana in 2024. On the ground for two months last fall, I learned so much about the people and communities across 40 Montana counties, the largest congressional district by land in the nation. Since last November, I’ve expanded my territory to all 56 counties in Montana and continued visiting with as many Montanans as possible, pledging to represent them in D.C. as their next U.S. Senator. Inaction is offensive. I’m working right now for all of Montana to have representation and a robust democracy.

We've been “Yellowstoned. ”While the television series “Yellowstone” is undeniably entertaining, many of us can’t watch an episode without shaking our heads. It’s not the real Montana: ladies smoking a cigarette while bathing in a horse trough, ranch hands releasing a bull into the local bar at midnight, or cows calving in tall green grass with the sun shining on the rancher’s shoulders. "Yellowstone" paints a fictional version of our state, a new Montana.

Politics in America has turned into a dangerous game of blind allegiance. The best leaders, those who truly serve the people, are critical thinkers who challenge authority, ask hard questions, and demand transparency. Yet today, too many politicians are content to follow orders, prioritize party loyalty over their constituents, and avoid making the tough decisions that leadership requires. President Trump has arbitrarily slashed federal funding with little explanation, leaving Montanans to suffer the consequences. We are told these cuts are a "temporary discomfort," but that justification falls flat.

In June 2024, the Milk River Project siphons experienced a catastrophic failure, halting water flow to municipalities and agricultural producers along the Hi-Line. Over the past century, this engineering marvel has been the only reason the Milk River runs every year, serving as a lifeline to the drylands of northern Montana. The Milk River Irrigation project infrastructure built an agricultural industry that hardworking Montanans on the Hi-Line sustain and grow. We are paying the price for neglecting this lifeline. We are facing a summer without water.

Sometimes when you’re falling, it feels like you’re flying. For a bit, the sensation is freedom, apart from the hard thing coming at you very quickly. The ethics and oversight structure of the U.S. Government, a once-imperfect but comprehensive working system, shattered in the last week and now no one is overseeing those charged with protecting our economy, our Social Security, pensions, air travel, public health, flow of goods, and so much more. A fervor grips those cheering on the destruction of our nation.

How can we trust that our laws and rights will be upheld if they can be manipulated by one individual for political gain? If a president-elect, a private citizen, can intervene to prevent a law like the TikTok ban from being enforced, it undermines the checks and balances that protect our democracy. TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, operates its U.S. branch separately, with American oversight on its board. The vast majority of TikTok’s data and user information is stored in the U.S. under the oversight of American-based servers at Oracle, a multinational tech company.

A Strong and Strategic Path: Every minute since the 2024 election, I've been building a plan to win. From listening to concerns of Montanans across the state to building networks in D.C. to lobby for the Farm Bill and Federal Indian Boarding School legislation, I'm committed to empowering Montana voters. Every voice matters and every vote counts.

While retirees, farmers and ranchers laid awake at night wondering what was going to happen with the Farm Bill, Montana’s Republican Congressional delegation drew paychecks and said nothing. We deserve better. Due to partisan gridlock and unwillingness to negotiate, a widely-supported, bipartisan Farm Bill failed and Congress missed an opportunity to do right by farmers, ranchers, forest landowners, rural communities, hunters and anglers.

Montana’s Farmers and Ranchers Need Results. Montana's Congressional delegation should be working right now to pass a Farm Bill with long-term funding provisions, not planning a government shutdown. Will our representatives abandon the promises they made to Montanans? We must hold them accountable. Every voice matters and every vote counts.