Chaos vs. Competence: Montana House District 2 Voters Have a Choice

Opinion Editorial by Geraldine Custer, Gary Buchanan and Marc Racicot

The 118th Congress began on Jan. 3, 2023, and will end on January 3, 2025. It is, by almost any measure, one of the least functional in the 235-year history of the United States of America. How many times during the last two years has Congress revealed itself to be an incompetent and acrimonious mess. The inability or refusal of Congress to focus on the public good and instead to engage in intramural squabbles with the intention of setting each other up for critique, has led to repetitive threats of a government shutdown, an incomprehensible failure to create a humane and secure border, the toleration of precipitous increases in the costs of prescription drugs and a paralyzing inside-baseball game of musical chairs regarding who will be Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Nobody seems to be focused on the concerns of the people who live in Montana, and certainly not those in the Second Congressional District of central and eastern Montana. Where is an effective, modern Farm Bill that would bolster our agricultural producers, ensure a robust and clean water supply and address the interests of farmers and ranchers?

We need resources to support first responders and law enforcement who are on the front lines of illegal drug trafficking. That’s just a start. Instead, seven of the eight candidates in the ongoing 2024 Primary Election are enthusiastic acolytes of former President Donald Trump, marching lockstep in pursuit of his angry and vengeful agenda promising more of the same chaos, confusion and impotence in our nation’s capital.

Only one candidate in this election is committed to crushing the mindless chaos in Washington, DC, and serving as a conservative voice and a vote for common sense, common ground and unimpeachable character. That candidate is Joel Krautter. He is an accomplished Billings-based attorney, a former Montana State Legislator and the product of Montana’s public schools and university system. He is focused on sound public policy and an uncompromising commitment to work tirelessly to get the job done correctly in the U.S. Congress for urban and rural Montanans. As someone under age 40, Krautter also truly represents the next generation of leaders serving Montanans and ensuring that the future is bright, safe and full of hope for our children and grandchildren. We encourage our fellow Montanans who will vote in the Second Congressional District of Montana to vote a Republican Party ballot on June 4th and vote for Joel Krautter to represent Montana in the U.S. Congress. You can do so with the knowledge and conviction that Krautter will work hard, vote his conscience and fight for all Montanans regardless of their political perspective. We’re proud to support Joel Krautter and believe he will make us all proud of the work he will do on our behalf in our nation’s capital.

Marc Racicot is the former Montana Attorney General and Governor (1993- 2001) and Chair of the Republican National Committee (2002-2003). Gary Buchanan was an independent candidate for Congress in Montana’s 2nd Congressional District in 2022. Geraldine Custer is a former four-term State Representative from Forsyth (R).