Candidates for Legislature face off at Monitor forum

The candidates for State Senate District 38 and House District 75 gathered in Boulder Oct. 10 for a public forum focused on state and regional challenges, in a substantive, mostly conflict-free discussion that nonetheless exposed significant differences in political perspective and legislative strategy.

The evening was not without partisan jabs. Both Democrat challengers cast themselves as upstart foes of the Republican hegemony that has dominated the Legislature in recent sessions. “I’m running to represent Jefferson County, because the last Legislature failed,” said Nancy Jane Lien, a Democrat from Whitehall who is aiming to unseat HD75’s Republican Marta Bertoglio of Clancy. The “Republican super-majority,” Lien added, “elevated culture war issues over the business of the people of the state of Montana, and it’s time for a change.”

Likewise, said Jeffrey Benson, a retired business consultant who is challenging Republican Becky Beard in SD38, “I’m representing the people. That’s why I’m running. And the people are saying the way that they’re doing things in Helena is wrong. This tax debacle is wrong. All the programs that the [Governor Greg] Gianforte administration is doing have been hurtful to people. They’ve made this somebody else’s playground. I would change that.”