Victory-endorsed candidate Denise Juneau grew up in rural Montana and can trace her family’s roots back to before it was even a state. She knows Montanans, and her long ties to the people and the land make both a priority in her race to become the sole Congressional representative from the state. Her desire to look after the interests of the average Montanan – and not the elite political class – is drawing a stark contrast between her and incumbent Ryan Zinke, who is willing to politicize and unnecessarily sell the public lands cherished by Montanans.
Whereas Denise vows to fiercely defend public lands and as a member of Montana’s Land Board voted to open up 40,000 acres to public access, Rep. Zinke has voted to transfer management of state land to politically-appointed boards that do not have the best interests of Montanans at heart. In Congress Zinke supported a budget to sell-off state land in order to pay down the national debt, and in 2012 signed the Montana Constitutional Governance Pledge, which aimed to privatize long-held public lands.
Denise is entirely opposed to the sale or transfer of Montana’s public lands, and recognizes those lands are responsible for a significant portion of the state’s $6 billion per year recreation economy, which employs more than 60,000 people. Her opponent ignores this reality, and is more concerned with his popularity among DC colleagues than in supporting the workers and economy of Montana.
Denise is emblematic of why representation matters. She is a long-time Montanan who understands the concerns of average residents because she is one of them. If elected, she would also become the first Native American woman in Congress and first openly LGBTQ member from Montana, and she would be a fierce advocate for equality. When communities are represented, it changes the conversation. Denise’s advocacy on behalf of average Montanans, Native Americans and the LGBTQ community is desperately needed in Washington.
