by Wayne Adair, Hamilton
With the general election less than a year away, I have been thinking long and hard about which candidates deserve my vote. My choice in one Montana race is easy.
Monica Tranel is best to represent our first district in the US House of Representatives. My reason is simple: she is a Democrat and Democrats have proven repeatedly to be the more responsible party, passing legislation benefiting the middle class – the heart, soul, and backbone of our country. Republicans have no such record of commitment or success.
The proof is obvious. Republicans in 2022 rode to an eyelash-thin majority in the US House of Representatives by making campaign promises to address issues related to our southern border, crime, and the fentanyl epidemic. According to the website Legiscan (legiscan.com), the 118th Congress, House of Representatives, to date has passed 12 bills. Not one addresses their trio of priorities.
The first two years of the Biden administration saw a similar slim majority in the House of Representatives held by Democrats under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi. That Congress passed a wealth of bills to benefit the American middle class, bills that became law when signed by President Biden. These include legislation to reduce inflation and provide funds to clean up pollution. Lowering drug prices was a key component of this bill. Not a single Republican in the House voted for this bill, Tranel’s opponent, Ryan Zinke, included. Other legislation passed includes a major investment to kick-start American manufacturing of semiconductors and features tax breaks to facilitate production of these vital components necessary in an array of items from automobiles to cell phones. And let’s not forget the Electoral Count Reform Act that makes it clear a vice president cannot discount electoral votes.
These examples only scratch the surface of successes by the Pelosi-led Congress. Monica Tranel will continue this tradition.
Zinke seems to be a passive observer in the legislative process. To be fair, he hasn’t been totally absent when it comes to proposing legislation. He concocted a plan to expel Palestinians from our country and prevent refugees from entering. And there was no significant differentiation between terrorist members of Hamas and innocent residents of Gaza engulfed in a tide of war not of their making.
It is easy – but unfair – to dismiss Monica’s candidacy as irrelevant because conventional wisdom declares any Republican candidate will win in red Montana. The facts tell a different story. In her last campaign against Zinke, she came within four percentage points of sending him home.
With all this in mind, I am aware nothing I say will convince a MAGA Republican to support any Democrat. My effort here is to reach young voters in our state and thousands of Independents and moderate Republicans who are open to a message encouraging responsible leadership in Washington.
In 2024 please vote for a visionary leader grounded in solid Montana values, Monica Tranel.
Alan says
You’ve been “thinking long and hard” about which candidate deserves your vote? Hmm.