by Alice Boyer, Forward Montana, Missoula
Every day, Forward Montana staff organize and build political power with young people across our state. Folks are working multiple jobs, worried about lengthening forest fire seasons, and watching their parents retire with rising costs, unsure of how long they can keep barely making ends meet in the state they love.
The stakes for young voters have rarely been higher. Kurt Alme supports a national abortion ban, gutting Medicaid and rural hospitals, selling off our public lands, and giving tax breaks to corporations and the wealthy. Young people will live with the consequences for decades if we squander this opportunity and responsibility.
There is never a perfect candidate and we cannot expect politicians to save us, especially without a steady drum of accountability. I am proud of our efforts, interviewing and carefully evaluating both candidates Alani Bankhead and Seth Bodnar. We asked tough questions about issues that matter most to young Montanans, reviewed campaign strategies, examined the political landscape, and considered who had the strongest path to winning a competitive general election.
Our conclusion was clear: Bodnar is building the campaign needed to successfully compete against Alme. He aligns with young people on abortion access, public lands, and economic justice and has the leadership experience to get policies passed that make real improvements in young Montanans’ lives. Bankhead simply does not have the resources, endorsements, or campaign team to seriously compete against Alme and the MAGA machine.
I gained even more clarity around our choice to endorse Bodnar after attending a Bankhead campaign event in Missoula where she compared reproductive choice to opting out of vaccines, said it was not her job to convince voters to vote for her, and she concerningly said she was not ‘emotionally invested in the outcome of the race’, even going so far recently as to say she’s comfortable continuing her run even if doing so makes things easier for Republicans according to a Washington Post article this week. As a young Indigenous woman, I am very emotionally invested in the outcome of this race – as are tens of thousands of young Montanans who will live with the consequences of the Trump administration’s unchecked power if Alani chooses to put her ego over our nation. To that end, not only is Forward Montana endorsing Bodnar, we are asking Bankhead to withdraw to ensure a real shot at beating Alme.
Our commitment to young people stays strong in this moment. We must be able to win to impact policy, and Seth Bodnar’s campaign has proven that he’s the candidate that can compete. There’s momentum, energy and hope for Montana’s future building around his campaign and I’m proud to be part of the growing coalition supporting him.
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