Democrats competing for Montana’s open U.S. Senate seat met on the debate stage for the first time in Helena on April 12th.
The candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for Montana's open U.S. Senate seat are Reilly Neill, a Livingston business owner and former legislator; Michael Black Wolf, the historic preservation officer for the Fort Belknap Indian Community; Michael Hummert, a Helena Navy veteran and former business owner; Alani Bankhead, a Helena Air Force veteran and leadership coach.
They’re running for the seat held by Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, who is not seeking reelection.
The widening wealth gap is one of the top issues in Montana the Democrats discussed. The candidates each pitched varying approaches.
Hummert says balancing the federal government’s budget would be his top priority.
“When we spend more money than we take in as a nation, who does that benefit? It doesn’t benefit anyone in this room. It benefits billionaires, it benefits corporations, it benefits other countries.”
Bankhead says Montana has experience reining in money in power, referring to the Copper Kings. She proposed starting with tax policy.
“Everybody should pay their fair share of taxes, and we should be bringing a lot of that economy down to the Main Street.”
Neill called for a bottom-up approach and better pay for workers.
“We need to raise the federal minimum wage. We need industry in Montana, but we need to invite industry that’s going to pay workers fairly.”
Black Wolf agreed with focusing on workers and local economies.
“We need to really step up and support our unions. We need to ensure that our ‘Made in Montana’ gets pushed forward.”
The winner of the Democratic primary is likely to face Republican attorney Kurt Alme, who Daines endorsed after dropping out of the race at the eleventh hour. Independent candidate Seth Bodnar is also angling for a spot on the ballot.
