#MTSEN Week in Review
This week, we saw GOP Senate candidates express disdain for Montana’s families in need of health care services, serve up blatant hypocrisy and flaunt some feeble fundraising numbers.
Rosendale OK with Government Shutdown…As Long As It’s Taking Away Montanans’ Health Care
Wealthy real estate developer Matt Rosendale was busy feigning sudden interest in CHIP and trying to make political hay over Jon Tester defending Montana’s community health centers and rural hospitals.
But the health care community isn’t buying Maryland Matt’s political games. In a Great Falls Tribune op-ed, the CEO of the Montana Primary Care Association, Cindy Stergar, laid out the dangers of continuing to pass short-term budgets – which leave community health centers and the lives of over 100,000 Montanans they serve in danger – and unlike Rosendale, she called for permanent funding for community health centers and a better long-term budget for our state.
Flashback Friday: Maryland Matt supported the 2013 government shutdown because he wanted to defund Americans’ health care:
Rosendale Caters to Dark Money Groups Over Montanans
This week marks the 8th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. And wealthy real estate developer Matt Rosendale is squarely on the side of Citizens United – his #1 ally alongside the billionaire Koch Brothers, Steve Bannon’s super PAC, the Club for Growth and the Senate Conservatives Fund, among others. Rosendale has consistently voted against bipartisan campaign finance laws. Looks like it will (literally) pay off.
Rosendale’s Vote Against Medicaid Expansion is a Vote Against 90,000+ Montanans
Two years ago to the week, Rosendale introduced a resolution opposing a measure funding Medicaid expansion. The measure he opposed has helped more than 90,000 Montanans receive health care, saved our state more than $40 million, provided funding to rural hospitals that serve tens of thousands of residents across Montana, and been crucial in helping our veterans fight drug addiction.
Downing Campaigns in Las Vegas, Not Montana
This week, California millionaire Troy Downing – rarely seen publicly campaigning in Montana – decided to take his campaign to Las Vegas, alongside Washington politician Ryan Zinke, who is Downing’s friend. Downing has already made headlines for not being from Montana and has been receiving a tax break for his primary home in southern California. Now he’s adding to his residency troubles by not even campaigning in the state he says he wants to represent.
Fundraising Fumbles
After months of avoiding transparency with Montana voters, Russell Fagg – who is stillfacing an FEC complaint for raising political money as a judge – finally disclosed the (not so great) amount of money he has raised in his unethical shadow campaign, going back to the time when he was still a sitting judge.
Wealthy real estate developer Matt Rosendale was quick to announce his own slightly less poor fundraising numbers after Fagg.
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