Holding Congress Accountable

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I spent last Sunday in Drummond, Montana, walking the parade route and meeting folks in town for the 84th PRCA rodeo. Families were out early. Kids waved flags. People lined the sidewalks with folding chairs and coolers, ready to celebrate another Montana summer.

On that route, I met a man and his wife. We shook hands and I told them I was running against Steve Daines. He was grateful. He asked my party affiliation. I told him I’m an Independent running as a Democrat. He motioned to the crowd and said, “Look around. You should be an Independent running as a Republican.”

I told him I'm a woman. I want access to healthcare. He said Republicans offer healthcare. I said they should, because fifty-eight percent of Montanans voted for CI-128, for life-saving women's healthcare to be enshrined in our Constitution. When push comes to shove, Daines doesn’t respect the voters of Montana. He agreed.

Daines votes against the will of Montana every chance he gets when it comes to abortion. I told my fellow Montanan on the parade route that I wouldn't be running for U.S. Senate if Daines was doing his job upholding the will of the people.

I made a promise to this man and his wife that I would uphold their will no matter what party I’m affiliated with. In Montana, we all agreed, people vote for people, not parties

Conversations like this do more to restore democracy than any blog post or political fundraiser. They remind us what's at stake and who gets left behind when elected officials stop listening to the people.

There's a leadership gap in Washington. You can feel it in rural Montana. Too many in Congress are treating their seat like a lifetime appointment or a national party loyalty test.

Montana needs a Senator who does the job and tells the truth, someone who holds the line when dangerous nominees come forward. I’ll refuse to rubber-stamp budgets that gut services while protecting tax loopholes. I’ll bring Montana’s values into every committee room and floor vote.

I've made my plan clear.

- Block Unqualified Nominees. I'll read the background on every nominee and use the tools of the Senate to stop anyone unfit for public service. No shortcuts. No silence. Under this administration, recent nominees have gained bipartisan support with no relevant experience and no business leading essential federal agencies. I will not be a rubber stamp for Trump.

- Expose Reckless Budget Cuts. Budgeting should serve people, not donors. I'll shine a light on how rural states like Montana get gutted in budget deals that favor the powerful. When Veterans’ services, school funding, and agricultural programs are slashed, I'll bring those impacts to the floor and make sure the public hears about it.

- Restore Checks and Balances. When the executive branch overreaches or installs political operatives in agencies meant to serve the public, I'll respond. Oversight is not optional. It's the job. I’ll use hearings, subpoenas, and public pressure to protect the independence of our institutions.

- Backed by Montanans. I'll walk in the Senate with the voices of Montanans who have personally shared with me what they need in leadership. I've heard from veterans in Miles City, teachers in Billings, farmers in Phillips County, and nurses in Missoula. I've spoken with single parents in Butte and tribal leaders in Fort Belknap.

Montanans are asking for someone to take their concerns seriously and hold Washington accountable.

We deserve leadership grounded in real conversations, not elite circles, and that means showing up, asking questions, and telling the truth, even when it doesn't fit in a party memo, even my party’s memo.

If this post speaks to you, please forward it to five people. Ask them to support bold, grounded leadership. That's how we win. It's how we rebuild democracy from the ground up.