MTPR is airing interviews with candidates running for federal office in 2026. MTPR's Austin Amestoy speaks with Ray Curtis, a Republican running for Montana's western U.S. House seat.
Austin Amestoy: Would you tell us a little bit about what makes you the most qualified candidate for this job?
Ray Curtis: I never imagined I would put my name on the ballot, but I decided to because I am a constitutional scholar. I am James Madison Fellow. I have taught American government for 40 years. I know the basic tenets of government. I understand about political parties and money in elections. I also have lived in this district for almost my entire life growing up on the Bozeman Pass, doing a stint on the railroad up by Essex, and I live in Tura now — the Bonner area, and I know the area.
Austin Amestoy: I know that our listeners — to many of them — it may be really appealing to have someone who brings a wealth of constitutional experience with them to a job like this. And I'm wondering though, because this job requires a marriage of knowledge of the inner workings of government, but also taking positions — how will your previous experience that you just cited help you if you were to go to Congress?
Ray Curtis: Oh, so that's interesting because as a government teacher, I tried not to take positions, but to explain both sides. And so I think I can have an empathy for — I know I can — an empathy both sides of the issue.
Austin Amestoy: Ray, you did ultimately decide to cast your name on with the Republicans for this election. Tell me about that decision.
Ray Curtis: I'm glad you asked that question because I am a huge fan of Lincoln, considered one of, you know, the greatest of Republicans and how he felt about equality. I believe in Eisenhower's ideas about the budget and what we should spend money on. Right now we spend almost a trillion dollars on defense and that's three times what China does, the next closest country. And Eisenhower said, we need that money to go towards taking care of people. Like it says in the preamble, "promoting the general welfare," you know, and taking care of each other. And so those are two. But the last one I really want to emphasize is Ronald Reagan. His very last speech as president, he took the opportunity to talk about immigration and how we are a nation of immigrants. And if we lose that, we cease to be great.
Austin Amestoy: Ray, let's talk about some issues here. The federal government last fall shut down over an impasse between Republicans and Democrats over subsidies for the Affordable Care Act. I'm wondering how you would have approached that vote.
Ray Curtis: I'm going to cite Eisenhower, who said that is one of the primary functions of government. Some people are going to be very hurt by what came of that bill. And one of things that came out of the bill that I just absolutely have to mention is adding to our debt. And for young people like you Austin, that concerns me. And we need to figure out how to rein that in.
Austin Amestoy: Speaking of reining in government spending, the Trump administration, at least on paper, made a very huge effort last year to downsize the federal government. Are you happy with the result of that effort, or do you think further downsizing is necessary? How do you view the DOGE situation?
Ray Curtis: I lost my job because of DOGE. I was going to speak for Humanities Montana about the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. And it rankled me that we had an unelected multi-billionaire making these decisions that Congress should have been making. That is what their constitutional responsibility is. And again, it's another reason why I decided to put my name on the ballot because I want to get back to those checks and balances and the role of Congress to do what they are supposed to do.
Austin Amestoy: Let's talk briefly about foreign policy. The Trump administration moved pretty unilaterally in past weeks to take military action in Iran. What do you think about that decision and should the administration have consulted Congress?
Ray Curtis: You use the word unilateral. That is so essential. Yes, Congress should have known before other people did. It was interesting how that notification took place. But Austin, I feel strongly that we are losing our standing in the world by talking about things like taking over Greenland, not supporting our NATO allies. Ukraine is hardly in the news right now; they're still fighting four years later. We need to do something about that.
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