Notes from Montana: Community Conversations

— March 29, 2025 —

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.

What I’ve heard is concerning.

Everyday Concerns Are Mounting

Montanans talk to me about real life, about whether they can find reliable childcare and whether the only nearby hospital will still be open next year. They’re concerned about public education, the cornerstone of our communities in Montana and whether their kids can get a good education without leaving the state—or going into debt.

Montanans wonder if their aging parents will get the care they need, whether any Montanan can hold on to their land, their home, their dignity.

I’ve heard heartbreaking stories about the suicide crisis among farmers, about veterans struggling to access services, about how USDA and VA budget cuts have a domino effect—taking out not just services, but hope.

People are asking the same basic question: Is anyone in Washington actually listening?

Montanans focus less on partisan games or political headlines and more on practical concerns—childcare, hospital closures, public education, veterans’ services, elder care, and staying afloat on the land they’ve lived on for generations.

These concerns go beyond political rhetoric and shape daily life in direct and personal ways.

• Childcare shortages are widespread. Parents described waitlists that last months and care centers closing due to lack of funding or staffing. These gaps strain families and keep people, particularly women, from participating in the workforce.

• Healthcare access is in crisis. Rural hospitals are closing or scaling back. Insurance premiums continue to rise, and families are forced to choose between medical care and basic necessities. The state’s behavioral health system is underfunded and under-resourced, especially in farming and ranching communities hit hard by mental health challenges.

• Affordable housing is not being addressed. Housing came up in nearly every roundtable. Rents are climbing, especially in areas with high tourism. Homeownership feels out of reach for young families and first-time buyers. Montanans shared stories of being forced out of the towns they were raised in and away from their families and support networks.

Young Voices, Big Stakes

Young people are especially vocal. They’re frustrated by student debt, limited job opportunities, and a sense that policymaking is done without them. Many want to stay and build lives in Montana but don’t see how that’s possible without meaningful change.

Despite these hardships, young Montanans remain deeply connected to their communities. They’re proud of their public lands, local traditions, mutual aid networks, and civic culture.

No one wants handouts—they want policies that reflect the reality on the ground.

What’s Working—and What’s Worth Protecting

Even in the face of mounting challenges, people spoke with pride about what makes their communities thrive. They celebrated:

• Local arts scenes that bring people together

• Montana’s vast public lands and natural beauty

• Grassroots wellness initiatives

• Civic engagement, including volunteerism and local government participation

There’s a real desire to preserve the best of what Montana offers, even while demanding better from those in power.

Through it all, I don’t hear cynicism. I hear commitment. I hear people who want a government that works—for them, not for billionaires or political influencers. I hear people who are ready to stand up for what matters, even when it’s hard.

The Political Landscape—and What’s At Risk

Along with a growing sense of disillusionment with both political parties in my conversations with Montanans, people also express a rising concern about political identity.

People describe a Republican Party split between traditional values and extreme positions and a Democratic Party they see as better aligned with their values—but too often passive in defending them.

There’s a deep hunger for honesty, clarity and courage made clear in the conversations about our courts.

Montanans are alarmed by efforts to undermine district courts and our independent judiciary, the very institutions that handle serious crimes and protect our rights. Weakening the judiciary weakens our democracy, and people know it.

The Montana Constitution is clear about the independent foundation of our courts

People are paying attention to efforts to dismantle or delegitimize federal courts—especially district courts, which handle serious crimes like human trafficking, corruption, and multi-state criminal cases. Undermining these institutions isn’t abstract. It affects public safety and constitutional protections.

Montanans are also talking about the information crisis. They’re concerned about the collapse of local news, misinformation on social media, and the erosion of shared facts. In Butte, someone said, "No one even reads the Montana Standard anymore."

The absence of trusted information sources creates a vacuum—and people feel it.

Meeting the Moment

In many of my conversations with Montanans, people raise concerns about the growing influence of Elon Musk and Donald Trump in shaping national direction. Montanans are alarmed by Musk’s expanding control over communication platforms, surveillance technology, and federal data systems—often without public transparency or oversight.

Combined with Trump’s repeated efforts to bypass constitutional norms and install loyalty over qualifications, these developments have intensified fears about power consolidation, disinformation, and the erosion of democratic checks and balances. Voters described this moment not just as a political crisis, but as a test of civic resilience.

What I haven’t heard is apathy. Instead, I’ve heard people who are looking for leaders grounded in reality, not rhetoric. People who care more about function than faction. People who are ready to roll up their sleeves but expect the same from those representing them.

One person said something that has stayed with me: "Before it unravels, we must prepare and react."

The call to prepare is not abstract. It’s a blueprint. We can track the patterns that have led other democracies toward collapse. We can map where institutions are breaking down—and where they’re still holding. We can create toolkits for civic resistance, support local journalism, and strengthen the connections that keep our communities resilient. This moment demands more than awareness. It demands action—and we still have time to act.

This is the message I’m carrying forward.

Montana doesn’t need another political voice shouting into the void. It needs representation built on real conversations, deep listening, and honest work.

We still have the tools to meet this moment: our votes, our voices, and each other.

The question is whether we’ll use them.

Let’s choose to show up. Let’s choose to lead with clarity and courage. Let’s build something that lasts.