MTPR is airing interviews with candidates running for federal office in 2026. MTPR's Shaylee Ragar Ragar spoke with Al Olszewski, a Republican running for Montana's western U.S. House seat.
Shaylee Ragar: Al, thanks so much for making the time today.
Al Olszewski: Thank you, I appreciate the opportunity.
Shaylee Ragar: What makes you the most qualified candidate for this job?
Al Olszewski: Well, if you're trying to choose a legislator that's gonna be a good legislator, we better find one that is actually legislated. You know, across both parties and the Libertarian Party, I am the only candidate that actually has a voting record. You know I've served western Montana as a House representative for House District 11, and then I was a state senator for Senate District 6. And so I've spent several years in Helena, and throughout Western Montana, understanding what the challenges are, what the needs are. And I have a voting record, which means I've had to stand even on unpopular issues. So you know exactly where I'm at, and I've learned a lot.
Shaylee Ragar: What other experience or expertise would you bring to Congress?
Al Olszewski: In addition to being a very good legislator, I'm a physician. I've served the community, but most importantly through that service, I am an excellent listener. I'm a marathon listener. I've been trained to actively listen to the person in front of me from six o'clock in the morning through midnight at times. So I bring that to the game.
Shaylee Ragar: Moving onto issue, the federal government shut down amid an impasse between Republicans and Democrats over subsidies for the Affordable Care Act. How would you have approached that?
Al Olszewski: I think it's important not to shut down the government. We need to get back into regular order. We actually need to have appropriation bills created and voted on well before the deadline that the fiscal year ends. And so we can stay out of this issue. The problem is when people use these crises for political gain. And it needs to stop. And it's not my idea, but i think it's a great idea. We should have like the military, mutual assured destruction philosophy when it comes to passing the budget. If the budget is used politically and it is shut down, then everything shuts down. You know, not only does that does it one agency shut down, but our airports shut down, our trains shut down, our ports shut down. Because I'll tell you what will happen -- within 24 hours, there will be such an uprising from the American people that nobody will put up with it.
Shaylee Ragar: Where do you stand on the Affordable Care Act subsidies themselves?
Al Olszewski: Look, they didn't work. That's what we've found. We need to find a better way. And the truth is, is there's a lot of physician congressmen. I want to join them. And we do have better alternatives for health care.
Shaylee Ragar: The Trump administration made a big push to downsize the federal government. Are you happy with the results of that effort? Is further downsizing necessary?
Al Olszewski: Personally, I think that we need to be very surgical in nature on how we reduce people who work for the government. In essential services, we need make sure that the government is responsive to the people. In those areas that are unnecessary services, then yes, let's remove the entire agency or service and let the public sector or the private sector provide services that they do better than the federal government.
Shaylee Ragar: What's a top priority for constituents in this district? [00:03:34][2.7]
The number one issue in Western Montana is how do we afford living here? It's, we are in an existential crisis. We are barely just hanging on. And I don't believe you should have to be a physician in order to afford living in Western, Montana.
Shaylee Ragar: Is there one policy in particular that you think would be most helpful on the affordability issue?
Al Olszewski: We need, we need three things: we need inexpensive energy. We to have high-paying jobs. And we need to make sure that we open up areas for building new homes. Our Western Montana is, for a significant part, is lands controlled by the federal government and the state government. And we can need to have a 21st century discussion about maybe open up some of those public lands for a mini homesteading act or to open up, especially in like mineral county, where 90 percent of the land there is controlled and owned and by the federal and state government. So we need to open areas for building new homes.
Shaylee Ragar: Al, I appreciate you taking the time today.
Al Olszewski: Thank you Shaylee.
