Current Position: US Senator since 2015
Affiliation: Republican
Candidate: 2020 US Senator

In 2000, Steve took on the role of VP at RightNow Technologies, a Bozeman-based cloud computing start-up company.  The company grew rapidly and became a publicly traded software company with 17 offices around the world, and products in over 30 languages. The company was acquired by Oracle in 2012 and remains one of Montana’s largest commercial employers.

In the U.S. Senate, Daines is working on issues of critical importance to growing good-paying Montana jobs, developing our state’s energy resources, managing and protecting our public lands and supporting the needs of Montana’s veterans and tribes. He serves on the Senate Committees on Finance, Appropriations, Energy and Natural Resources, and Indian Affairs.

For more information about Steve Daines, see his post.

Current Position: Governor since 2012
Affiliation: Democrat
Candidate: 2020 US Senator

Steve Bullock has spent his life fighting for Montana families to make sure all Montanans have a fair shot at a better future. Before he entered public service, Steve worked as a consumer protection, small business, and labor lawyer and helped lead the fight to raise Montana’s minimum wage. Steve was elected Attorney General and fought the corrupting influence of money in politics by bringing the first legal challenge to the landmark campaign finance case known as Citizens United all the way to the Supreme Court. He also fought to protect access to public lands and streams.

For more information about Steve Bullock, see his post.

Steve Daines 

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Steve Bullock 

Campaign Finance Reform

Governor Bullock has been called “the biggest threat to Citizens United,” and has spent his career fighting to keep dark money out of politics. He continues to champion measures to increase transparency in elections.

As Governor of Montana, he proposed and passed legislation in 2019 to ban spending and contributions in Montana elections by foreign governments, foreign corporations, and foreign nationals. In 2015, he led a bipartisan crackdown on dark money, working with the Montana Legislature to pass the Montana DISCLOSE Act, one of the strongest campaign finance disclosure laws in the nation. Any group spending money or resources intended to influence an election within 60 days of when voting begins must disclose how they are spending that money and its source.

In 2018, Governor Bullock issued a first-in-the-nation dark money executive order requiring government contractors to disclose secret spending. Governor Bullock also sued the IRS and the US Department of Treasury, and won, over their decision to abandon disclosure requirements for major donors to dark money groups.

See post for more info.

Steve Daines 

Job Creation and the Economy

After passing the largest tax cuts in our nation’s history, our economy is booming. The unemployment rate in the United States is at an all time low, and small businesses across Montana and the country are seeing their businesses grow like never before. With this economic growth, Montanans are landing good-paying jobs that allow them to provide a better life and future for their families for generations to come.

While much progress has been made, there is still much left to accomplish. I will continue to work to reduce regulation on our small businesses and entrepreneurs, and tackling our nation’s escalating debt crisis. I will also continue support efforts to increase production of American-made energy and natural resources in Montana and throughout our country. Further, I believe Congress should repeal Obamacare and all of its job-crushing tax and regulatory burdens. With these actions, Congress would lay a foundation where Americans can continue to create and find good-paying jobs.

Steve Bullock 

Economy & Fiscal Responsibility

Governor Bullock knows it’s impossible to have a truly strong economy without exercising fiscal responsibility. Under the Governor’s leadership, the state pension system was fixed at no cost to taxpayers. Governor Bullock spearheaded putting the state’s checkbook online, contributing to transparency and accountability in government.

Governor Bullock cut the business equipment tax for every Montana business, and eliminated it for 2/3 of the businesses operating in the state. Over 15,000 small businesses have expanded their footprint through economic development tools during Governor Bullock’s tenure. These economic gains have extended into Montana’s Native American reservations, through the Indian Equity Fund, which has funded nearly 120 businesses and retained 220 jobs in the last six years.

A strong economy requires collaboration between public and private sectors. That’s why Governor Bullock launched Main Street Montana Project in 2013, in an unprecedented partnership between the state government and private sectors to remove barriers to economic growth. The Main Street Montana Project 2.0 – Rural Partners Initiative – is currently focused on bringing economic opportunity to rural communities through partnerships.

See post for more info.

Steve Daines 

Education

It is critical we equip our children with the tools they need to become our nation’s future leaders. Education is key to building a globally competitive economy.

Steve Bullock 

Quality Public Education for All Montana Students

Governor Bullock believes public education is our great equalizer and is committed to ensuring that all Montana students, from preschool to higher ed, have the educational opportunities to succeed in today’s economy and in the future.

Montana now invests over $175 million more each year in K-12 BASE Aid than when Governor Bullock first took office in 2013. At a time when most states suffered a decline in investment, Montana made record investments in higher education; it is one of ten states spending more per student on higher education since the recession.

Governor Bullock built on the success of dual enrollment programs by launching the “1-2-Free” Dual Enrollment program in 2018, allowing high school students to take their first two college classes entirely for free. In the first year, students and families saved over $7.2 million in tuition costs, and students from more than 150 schools in Montana took some form of dual enrollment, leading to a 25% boost in the number of credits taken. Nearly 8,000 students participated in dual enrollment during the 2018-2019 school year, more than doubling since 2014.

See post for more info.

Steve Daines 

Energy, Natural Resources

As a fifth-generation Montanan, I know the importance our state’s natural resources to our way of life. Natural Resources are an engine to our economy and to job creation. Our pristine glacial peaks and rivers, vibrant forests, wide-open spaces, and rich mineral and energy deposits earn beautiful Montana its name—the Treasure State.

Steve Bullock 

Public Lands and Outdoor Recreation

Governor Bullock fights to preserve and expand access to public lands across Montana and will always ensure that public lands stay in public hands. During his tenure as Governor, he secured an additional 118,000 acres of conservation through Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks-affiliated projects. He also collaborated with federal and nonprofit partners as well as private landowners on contributions to Montana’s Wildlife Management Areas and conservation easements, safeguarding wildlife habitat while honoring that working lands must stay in production.

Governor Bullock established initiative Parks in Focus in order to ensure our state parks can keep pace with growing number of visitors and are protected for generations to come. He also established the Forests in Focus initiative to encourage healthy forests and fuel reductions. Alongside other Western Governors, Bullock led a multi-state effort to ensure effective management of the Greater Sage Grouse. By restoring funding to the successful Habitat Montana program, Governor Bullock protects and enhances wildlife habitat across the state while supporting conservation-minded ranchers and farmers.

See post for more info.

Steve Daines 

Health Care

I support full repeal of Obamacare. This law imposes a heavy tax and regulatory burden on American families and small businesses. It has already caused millions of Americans to lose the health care plans they liked and doctors that they trusted. It has also led to higher health costs and higher premiums, and drastically increased federal spending by subsidizing health coverage for millions of Americans. I believe Obamacare’s government-centered approach represents the wrong solution for the health care challenges in our country.

While Obamacare is not the solution, I certainly recognize that our health care system has major problems. First and foremost, I believe doctors and patients, not insurance companies or the government, should be in charge of health care decisions. Next, I believe we must always protect those with preexisting conditions. I believe Congress should provide people with greater freedom in shopping for health insurance, make the costs of medical care more transparent, and reward innovation in the delivery of health services. I will also back commonsense medical liability reform, because doctors currently must practice high-cost “defensive medicine” to protect themselves against unwarranted lawsuits.

Steve Bullock 

Affordable and Accessible Health Care

In 2019, Governor Bullock signed into law a sweeping package of health care bills, including the reauthorization of Medicaid expansion, three bills aimed at lowering prescription drug prices, and legislation to increase access to medical, mental health, and substance use treatments. With this legislation package, Governor Bullock enabled tribal communities to license and use community health workers in Indian Health Service facilities to improve access to care. Governor Bullock also passed and received federal approval of a reinsurance waiver to lower healthcare premiums by 9%, saving Montanans and estimated $31.3 million.

Medicaid expansion preserves access to physical and mental health care for nearly 1 in 10 Montanans including nearly 15,000 American Indians and 10,000 veterans and their families. Governor Bullock knows Montanans must be able to receive care in their own communities, especially in rural areas; Medicaid expansion is a lifeline for rural hospitals and health clinics. Governor Bullock also improved Medicaid, adding autism coverage for all Medicaid eligible children in Montana.

By establishing Big Sky Care Connect as the statewide health information exchange, Governor Bullock gave providers access to real-time patient data to improve quality of care while reducing healthcare costs.

See post for more info.

Steve Daines 

Securing Our Borders

I am committed to ensuring that the federal government effectively protects Americans from terrorism, drug trafficking, cyber attacks, and other crime, while safeguarding our liberties and privacy. In Montana, our communities are being torn apart Mexican meth that is flowing in through our Southern border. This is an issue folks all over our state are dealing with, and it must stop.

Securing our southern border is a matter of national security. The increase in illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and human smuggling is unacceptable. I will support whatever is necessary to secure our borders – including by building a border wall.

Steve Bullock 

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Steve Daines 

Transportation and Infrastructure

Across Montana’s 56 counties, our state’s roads, bridges, railways, pipelines, waterways and runways are vital to the prosperity of local communities. Our state’s transportation system promotes economic growth and secures our quality and way of life in Montana, but especially across our rural communities. As Chair of the Senate Western Caucus, I’ve pushed hard for strong and secure infrastructure across our state and I will continue to do so to drive economic growth.

Steve Bullock 

Critical Infrastructure

Governor Bullock recognizes that making sustainable investments in critical infrastructure and putting shovels in the ground is essential to our continued economic growth and to the creation and support of good-paying jobs for Montanans. In 2019, he passed the first comprehensive statewide bond package in over a decade; this package includes funding for sewer, water, bridges, buildings and other public work projects. These bonds were sold in April 2020 at a historically low interest rate of 1.56%, and the projects will begin as soon as it is safe to do so.

Under Governor Bullock’s tenure during the 2013-2017 legislative sessions, $232 million has been invested in local communities across the state to make infrastructure upgrades to drinking water, wastewater and sewer systems, solid waste disposal, schools and bridges. Over $60 million has been invested in infrastructure upgrades for the Montana University System, including for the construction of Missoula College and the Automotive Technology Center at MSU-Northern. All 56 counties of Montana have benefitted from these infrastructure investments.

See post for more info.

Steve Daines 

National Security

We must support the brave Americans stationed abroad who work tirelessly to keep our nation and world safe. We must also maintain a strong partnership with our greatest ally in the Middle East, Israel. As your Senator, I have had the opportunity to visit with foreign leaders in Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan, and witnessed firsthand the turmoil in the Middle East. Hearing directly from the leaders of these nations reaffirms the importance of our relationship with Israel and having a coherent strategy in the region.

Steve Bullock 

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Steve Daines 

Veterans

Montana has a rich legacy of service, and I’m proud to represent our state’s veterans in Congress. I’m dedicated to ensuring that our veterans receive the care and benefits that they fought for and greatly deserve.

As the son of a United States Marine, I believe the United States must honor the commitment we’ve made to the men and women of the armed forces, active duty troops and older veterans alike. While we can never repay the debt we owe to those who fight for our freedoms, we must ensure that we uphold the promises we’ve made. I’m dedicated to opening up new employment prospects for returning service members, improving medical care for wounded warriors, and ensuring support for veterans in need of assistance.

Steve Bullock