BILLINGS- Locked in tight races that the polls show could go either way, Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and congressional candidate Kathleen Williams took center stage at the Shrine Auditorium in Billings Thursday trying to get their base excited for the upcoming November 6 election.
Neither Sen. Tester nor Williams had any problem winning over the crowd at the rally, but winning next Tuesday won’t be as easy. Both candidates played up their sharp differences with Republican opponents.
Incumbent U.S. Rep. “Greg Gianforte promises to be the voice for Montana in the U.S. House. How can you be the voice when you don’t meet with the public or allow them to give you comments?” Williams told the crowd.
“He promised to stick up for our agricultural sector and hasn’t shown any leadership on tariffs and hit foreign policy with a sledgehammer, so he’s not doing that. He promised to give us better healthcare. All he has done is threaten people with pre-existing conditions,” Williams said – bringing a number of jeers from the audience.
Sen. Tester, who is seeking a third term in the U.S. Senate, said this election is like none of the others he has had. His challenger is Republican Matt Rosendale, the state’s auditor and insurance commissioner.
“Myself and my opponent couldn’t be further apart on just about every issue, so I think rural Montana is at stake. We have challenges with our rural nature that DC has to pay attention to, and without someone back there telling them about it, I’m afraid we are going to be forgotten,” he said.
The pressure to capture votes is on more than ever now with just days left before the election, “get out and do what we need to do and win this thing, okay?” Sen. Tester told the crowd.
-Russ Riesinger reporting for MTN News
