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?

Last week, I sat down with Skip, a retired U.S. Forest Service worker in the Bitterroot. He’s been through decades of fire seasons—some hard, some hopeful—but this year, he didn’t mince words:

I’ve worked tirelessly to elevate the issue of updating and repairing the Milk River Project—an irrigation lifeline for Montana’s Hi-Line and our agricultural economy. The progress we’re seeing today on the Milk River Project did not happen by accident—it happened because everyday Montanans stood up, did the work, lobbied their representatives, and demanded action when 18,000 Montanans faced stark uncertainty about the future water supply of their agricultural communities. The sudden freeze of essential funds and firing of key federal staff nearly derailed the most urgent water project in Montana. It took a $35 million loan from the State of Montana—an emergency measure that local taxpayers shouldn’t have had to cover—to keep construction moving.

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.

For months, I’ve traveled across Montana, not giving speeches but sitting down with people in their communities to hear what matters most. From Richland County to Missoula, I’ve gathered with neighbors in living rooms, union halls, libraries and co-op buildings, not for campaign stops but to engage in community conversations. I’m grateful to the Montanans who have engaged in these conversations and who continue to show up to make sure their voice matters.

Let’s be honest about the moment we’re in. This isn’t some ordinary political season. It’s not a debate over taxes or regulations or who’s got the slickest ad on TV. This is a full-blown crisis of leadership.When Montanans look to Washington, what do we see? Two senators—Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy—so wrapped up in loyalty to power that they’ve forgotten who they work for.

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.

Donald Trump has made his intentions clear. He openly campaigned on the promise of becoming a dictator and has repeatedly hinted at ending elections as we know them. These are not empty words; they are the foundation of an agenda that seeks to dismantle American democracy from within.We have seen the warning signs. History tells us when authoritarians declare their plans, we should believe them.

Montana's history is deeply intertwined with tales of immense wealth, political maneuvering, and the enduring struggle against corruption. The era of the Copper Kings in the late 19th and early 20th centuries serves as a poignant example of how unchecked power can influence governance, leading to significant reforms driven by the people.

We are facing interesting, challenging times but we can meet this moment together. In the stories Montanans tell me, I hear from folks who are wondering why our administration has turned its back on Ukraine, why their taxpayer dollars are going to Elon Musk instead of childcare, healthcare, affordable housing, and paying and retaining our federal employees and contractors.

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.

If the current administration dismantles the Department of Education at the federal level, Montana’s education system will suffer in ways we cannot afford to ignore. Montana has just over a million people and 896 schools. In 2024, 148,009 students were enrolled in state and federally-funded schools. The Montana Constitution guarantees every child the right to a public education. Every one of our students matters.

I'm not just going through the motions in this campaign. Democrats need to work to understand where we've misused our resources and lost voter confidence. I'm hosting dozens of roundtables across the state in the next months to learn what's important to voters, all voters. The mission of my campaign right now is to listen. We need MORE democracy and more individuals engaged in the democratic process. We need new leadership, different leadership, leaders who go to D.C. and don’t forget who they serve.

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.

I received a polling call last week asking if I would support or oppose the Montana State Legislature forming a new Supreme Court where the governor would appoint all justices.Much like the Montana Constitution has since its inception, I will always support a judiciary elected by electors to preside over our Montana courts. The Territory of Montana was organized by an Act of Congress, approved May 26, 1864. Section 9 of this Act vested the judicial power of the territory in a Supreme Court, District Courts, Probate Courts and Justice of the Peace Courts.

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.

America's survival depends on a robust democracy built by We The People. The new president is flooding the airwaves with one outrageous executive order or appointment after another. The Senate will vet appointees. Executive orders will be tested in the U.S. courts and Congress. We will see if the system holds.

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.