by Helen Sabin, Corvallis
Here’s the question Bitterrooters should be asking:
What exactly does Americans for Prosperity see in two relatively unknown and not too competent candidates, Kathy Love and Kim Dailey, that makes them worth the glossy mailers and nonstop promotion?
What is so valuable in the valley that AFP would spend thousands of dollars to get these two elected? One that comes to the forefront is SHEEP CREEK MINE!
Let’s start with Kathy Love’s “record.
Her big legislative accomplishments in 2025? Two bills that practically walked themselves across the finish line, handed to her by her political ally, Attorney General Austin Knudsen. Two others on protecting kids were solid. Those were good. But then there’s the bill she didn’t highlight.
She pushed to change one word in election law, from “date of election” to “date of election certification.” One word. And in law, one word can change everything.
Keep that in mind as we talk about her voting record.
Love cast 22 “NO” votes on bills that directly affect the Bitterroot: tax relief, infrastructure, public safety, agriculture, and education. Yet somehow, the mailers say she’ll “lower your taxes.” Really?
She voted against property tax relief bills for primary residences in both the short term and long term, but they were already voted on.
So, the claim that she’s riding in to save taxpayers? That doesn’t match the record or reality.
Then there’s public safety.
A state-owned dam at Painted Rocks needs serious work.
Funding to fix it? She voted NO saying she would use the billion-dollar surplus. It has already been assigned to various other sites and funds.
And she wants to be the next senator? Hello?
Public health? Wastewater improvements in Darby? NO.
Agriculture and irrigation upgrades that local producers depend on? NO.
Fishing access, hatcheries, habitat programs mostly funded largely by user fees, not even general taxes? NO.
Wildlife habitat and game bird programs? NO.State parks maintenance? NO.
Education funding, teacher pay, vocational training, charter school flexibility?
NO, NO, NO, and NO.
At some point, you must stop calling that “conservative” and start calling it casual neglect of duty.
And now we’re told Kim Dailey is next in line. She is apparently learning the ropes from Love, with guidance from higher up the political chain.
Dailey talks a lot about “restoring moral values” and the “erosion of morality.” That sounds nice until you remember she’s running for the legislature, not the pulpit.
Writing laws isn’t about grading your neighbors on morality. It’s about budgets, infrastructure, and solving real problems like that dam, those schools, and those tax bills.
Montana doesn’t need elected officials deciding who meets their personal definition of righteousness. We need officials who meet our standards: competence, honesty, effort, and results.
Rights and freedoms are not the same thing as someone’s idea of “morals.” They aren’t interchangeable, no matter how many times you say it in a campaign speech.
Please consider that both campaigns smell with the odor of out of state money, and SHEEP CREEK MINE has a foul odor about it too, then Bitterroot voters have a decision to make.
Look at the votes. Think and consider Love V. Bedey and Dailey V. Binkley, who represented the valley in 2021 and 2023.
Because come 2027, these are the people asking to represent you. And that’s a choice worth taking seriously. You can see who is worthy of our votes.
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