Dear Editor: Support of Tranel

Dear Editor,

Throughout Montana’s modern history we’ve consistently had a mix of republican and democratic leadership, with one party as governor and always a mix in congress. When I was a kid, our governor was Ted Schwinden (D), followed by Stevens (R), Racicot (R), Martz (R), Schweitzer (D), Bullock (D), and Gianforte (R). If you keep looking back, you’ll see a surprisingly balanced “purple” trend in the office with 9 republicans and 15 democrats. Our congressional delegation has exemplified a similar trajectory, currently with senators Daines (R) and Tester (D), and representative Rosendale (R), with a history of 14 democrats/8 republicans in the senate, and 15 democrats/18 republicans in the house. A few governors have even chosen lieutenant governors of the opposite party (most recently Schweitzer/Bohlinger).

As we fill out our ballots, I encourage you to honor Montana’s tradition of bipartisanship and vote for Monica Tranel, maintaining the important “purple” nature of leadership in our state. If Zinke were elected, we would experience an unprecedented conservative imbalance. That’s not natural for Montana, and it’s not healthy for us as residents. Montanans are at our best when we are working to understand one another and able to make progress on important pieces of legislation. The trend toward power-hoarding is en vogue, but Montana’s strength has always been in our ability to hold conversations across partisan divides and create coalitions to solve tough problems. It’s important our leadership be required to have crucial conversations before casting their vote; taking into account diverse viewpoints of stakeholders across the state instead of rubber-stamping their party. It’s true that having dual representation can sometimes result in a draw, with one vote canceling out the other. However, the value of a “purple” state is in the pre-vote collaboration, when leaders are forced to come to the table and participate in the difficult conversations that result in responsible statecraft that creates a better and more representative government for all of us, not just one party. We are at our best when leaders necessarily talk to one another with respect and listen with an intent to understand and find solutions. Keep our state’s legacy in mind as you fill out your ballot. Don’t buckle to the myths that Montana values are republican or democratic, as much as the ridiculously simplistic flyers in our mailboxes want us to believe. Our power has truly and historically always been “purple”.

Blakely Hay

Dillon, Montana