Thursday Thoughts

Posted on by

There’s a lot of news today! Here are the topics that made today’s column:

  • Rosendale Running for U.S. Senate
  • Montana & Homelessness
  • Native-Born Montanans
  • Badass Campaigning
  • Reading Assignments

ROSENDALE RUNNING FOR U.S. SENATE:

The Associated Press (AP) is reporting that Montana Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale plans to run for U.S. Senate, upending a race in which many national GOP officials already coalesced around a different candidate as they seek to unseat three-term Democrat U.S. Sen. Jon Tester.

The AP, citing two unnamed sources close to the congressman and speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly release details of the announcement, says that Rosendale is expected to make the announcement at a state GOP gathering this weekend.

The Republican primary for U.S. Senate just got a lot more interesting. The civil war this announcement will create may not heal for many years. It will be nasty.

Read the full report from the AP HERE.

MONTANA & HOMELESSNESS:

The Daily Montanan is reporting that a recently released national report to Congress from December 2023 puts Montana at or among the heads of the pack when it comes to increases in homelessness:

  • Montana saw the largest increase, 551%, of individuals experiencing chronic patterns of homelessness from 2007 to 2023, according to the 2023 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress.
  • Montana saw the second-largest increase in homeless youth, 76%, from 2022 to 2023, the report said. (North Dakota had the largest at 89%.)
  • Montana saw the second-largest percentage increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness from 2007 to 2023, at 89%. (The first was Vermont at 218%.)
  • From 2022 to 2023, Montana had the third-largest percentage increase, 45%, in the number of people experiencing homelessness. (New Mexico was at 57% and New Hampshire was at 55%.)
  • Most states decreased their numbers of homeless veterans since 2009. However, from 2009 to 2023, the number of veterans experiencing homelessness increased in four states, including Montana (one veteran). (Maine remained level from 2009 to 2023.)

It’s time for the elected officials in Montana to take notice and work to help our homeless neighbors. Everyone deserves a home.

You can read the full report from the Daily Montanan HERE.

NATIVE-BORN MONTANANS:

I saw an article in the Montana Free Press (MTFP) that talks about native-born Montanans:

Even with the much-remarked-upon waves of new arrivals streaming into Montana in recent years, the state is still — for now — a place where the majority of residents were born here.

I am one of the folks that was born elsewhere. After reading the article, I wonder how they count Steve Daines? He was born in California but claims to be a third or fifth-generation Montanan. (Source)

Cascade County, where I reside, has about 60% native and 38% born elsewhere. Maybe that explains why the county is behind most other areas of the state…

BADASS CAMPAIGNING:

Wednesday afternoon in Great Falls it was snowing pretty hard. The temperature was around 27 degrees.

A man came to my door and I thought it was the mail carrier, so I opened the door and he introduced himself as a member of Americans for Prosperity. He was dropping literature for Tim Sheehy, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, and asking people to take a “short one-minute survey.” I declined to take the survey.

When a candidate or a group that supports a candidate can find people who will brave the elements to contact voters on their behalf, that is very impressive. It’s badass campaigning. I’ve done door-to-door campaigning in the past and it’s not always sunny days, blue skies, and nice people.

I salute the gentleman from Americans for Prosperity for a job well done.

READING ASSIGNMENTS:

Here are some articles that you should read…

POLITICO: Former GOP representative mulling comeback bid in Montana
Denny Rehberg, who served in the House from 2001 to 2013, is considering a run for the seat Matt Rosendale is expected to vacate.

MTFP: Political strategist arrested on stalking charges
Dan Duffey was the political director for part of Greg Gianforte’s 2020 gubernatorial campaign.

KTVH: Dillon man found guilty of felony civil disorder during Jan. 6 riot
Hank Muntzer of Dillon has been found guilty of felony and misdemeanor charges connected to the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

## THE END ##

7 thoughts on “Thursday Thoughts”

  3. I ran away from Missoula and came to Great Falls in 1989. I’m not the only one who did this. Over the years I’ve met several who had moved out of the Flathead or the Bitterroot for a lot of the same reasons that I had when I left Missoula.

    On yet another note – That whole Sheehy thing is somewhat seemingly out-of-character for the Republicans in that this is the first time in a long, long time that we had any kind of canvassing from that side of the aisle. The Sheehy guy that came to my door admitted that he was only canvassing for the money – Times are tight and money makes for some strange bedfellows me thinks – The guy was an independent and was still on the fence about a lot of things.

    • Thanks for your comments. For some reason they went to SPAM and tihis is the reason they were not quickly approved. -JmB

  4. I think the convicted criminal in your reading assignments, that Muntzer guy from Dillion, is the same guy who has that bizarrely painted / muraled / graffiti’ed business on the main street of Dillon that’s illustrated with QAnon stuff, Trump stuff, MAGA stuff, and whatnot. It also features or used to feature an announcement for a weekly “Trump Train” parade around the streets of Dillon.

    Drive by there and all you can say is “yikes!”, along with maybe doing the finger twirling “cuckoo! cuckoo! cuckoo!” motion about your ear with your non-driving hand. If I’m right on that, quite unsurprising that guy would have been a 1/6 participant.

Comments are closed.