In the Legislature, I passed the referendum to stop ballot harvesting — which was overwhelmingly approved by voters. I have always been, and will always be, an unwavering supporter of requiring photo ID to vote, ending same-day voter registration, ending ballot harvesting, and having closed primaries. Unfortunately Ryan Zinke voted not once, but twice against requiring photo ID to vote. That is a matter of permanent public record, and he cannot run from that fact. In Congress, I will stand with the House Freedom Caucus to accomplish the policies which the majority of Montanans and Americans support — starting with ensuring that states have control over the administration of their elections, not the federal government as is proposed by Nancy Pelosi.

No.

If Congress is going to be serious about restoring freedom in health care, we have to start by firing Dr. Anthony Fauci. Secondly, abortion is not health care and government should not fund Planned Parenthood or any other abortion provider. Third, we need to hold Big Pharma accountable for the harm they knowingly commit against Americans and depoliticize the FDA. Only then will we even be able to begin to see meaningful change.

We also need a clean repeal of Obamacare, which was a promise the last majority did not follow through on. Health care freedom is not the same as health care choice. Identifying and repealing further burdensome federal regulations which take a provider’s attention from the patient and drive the cost of care and medications up.

Finally, we need to open up the insurance marketplace and allow competition across state lines. Ryan Zinke voted against free market competition across state lines and for forcing people to purchase health insurance.

That is largely a state and local issue and regulatory and tax reform can help aid in that process. At the federal level we need to open up our forests to harvest the timber we need to construct homes. It is also hard to own a home when you cannot afford fuel and energy costs. This requires using Montana energy sources to provide baseload power and increase the production of oil and natural gas from our state.

Man-made climate change is a hoax. In his confirmation hearing, on the record, Ryan Zinke opposed President Trump‘s position and agreed with Bernie Sanders when pressed on this issue.

Montanans and Americans, not radical environmental groups which sue for profit, are the best stewards of our land and the environment. We will be well served by ending federal subsidies for hobby projects like wind and solar which often completely fail in extreme conditions and lead to rolling blackouts as we saw in 2021.

Mining Montana coal, building pipelines, expanding hydropower, adding nuclear to our energy portfolio, and responsibly extracting our vast natural resources will not cause climate change as alleged by extremists.

Bottom line: We cannot seriously address this issue without passing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, which I have long supported.

In Congress, I will oppose earmarks, never vote for an unbalanced budget, and will never vote to increase the debt ceiling. Rather than going through the correct appropriations process, Congress has been governing by crisis and passing temporary measures to keep our bloated government running. Additionally, there are numerous government programs which are still running despite not having been re-authorized by Congress. This is a practice that needs to end immediately and will save billions of dollars.

Passing term limits will also help end the power brokering which has gotten us in the mess we are in. Special interests rely on earmarks and favors from longtime lawmakers they know they can control. I am proud to have signed the U.S. Term Limits Pledge.

The federal government has failed Montana in properly managing federal lands in our state. This has led to catastrophic wildfires that destroy our clean air, pure water, and abundant wildlife. They have forced Montanans off public lands by blocking off our access to over 20,000 miles of public access roads and crippled “Made in Montana” responsible natural resource production. As a state senator, I supported the Public Access to Lands Act and will support state control and greater access to Montana’s public lands for all Montanans. Montanans know how to best manage public land, natural resources, and wildlife — not federal bureaucrats.

We need to fund schools, not systems. With local control and school choice, parents can have a greater say in the curriculum their children are taught. This will help do things like eliminate critical race theory from being taught. Furthermore, eliminating the U.S. Department of Education will be one of the greatest long-term steps in eliminating wasteful spending, administrative and bureaucratic overhead, and indoctrination of students.

Life begins at conception. I will always protect life from conception to natural death. As a freshman legislator, Ryan Zinke voted nearly 70% of the time with the pro-abortion group NARAL. Unlike Ryan Zinke, my voting record shows I have supported life and opposed abortion 100% of the time.

The Second Amendment is very clear. Our right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed upon. I also believe we need constitutional carry so our citizens have the right to bear arms without a permit. This is why I have an “A” rating from pro-Second Amendment groups like the NRA and MSSA. Ryan Zinke openly opposed Montanans owning the .50 caliber rifle which would be a direct violation of the Constitution.

Yes, but it should be a Schedule 2 drug and states should have the right to regulate it.