Former Republican Secretary of State: Greg Gianforte Will Strip Access to Public Lands

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Former Republican Secretary of State: Greg Gianforte Will Strip Access to Public Lands

Says Gianforte “Has a Fundamental Instinct To Privatize Our Lands, Our Waters And Our Wildlife”

Helena, MT – Republican Bob Brown, a former Secretary of State and President of the Montana state Senate, sounded the alarm about Greg Gianforte in the Montana Standard, adding to the growing chorus of Republican voices denouncing his dangerous candidacy for Governor just two weeks before the Republican primary.

In his op-ed, Brown writes that Gianforte “has a fundamental instinct to privatize our lands, our waters and our wildlife,” and he has chosen a running mate, Kristen Juras, who believes “private landowners should be allowed to exclude the public from what are now public-access waterways.” Brown writes that this reflects Gianforte’s out-of-touch belief in “locking out the public interest for the profit of a private interest.”

Brown suggests that Gianforte is not interested in “the good work of public service,” but rather in securing “the profit of the few” over “the good of the many.” According to Brown, Gianforte is so out-of-touch with Montana values, that nominating him for Governor would threaten “the character of the Republican party… for years to come.”

“Greg Gianforte is running for Governor to block access to Montana’s public lands and sell off our heritage to the highest bidder,” said MDP Executive Director Sandi Luckey. “Republicans and Democrats agree – a Gianforte/Juras administration would be an absolute disaster for Montana’s public lands.”

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