In his first visit to the Flathead since being elected, Governor Steve Bullock spoke to an enthusiastic crowd Friday evening at a spring dinner for local Democrats.

Bullock framed his remarks as “the good, the bad and the ugly, but then also the reasons to look forward with a little more optimism than what we have today,” starting out by referring to what he called one of the “incredibly good moments” of the legislature — decriminalizing gay sex.

What Bullock claimed he saw upon taking over the post, however, was what he called a “wholesale attack” on public education, public

employees, women’s rights and reproductive freedom.

“It’s not all buttercups and daisies,” Bullock later said.

One of the efforts Bullock is currently supporting to improve the state is providing the funding to freeze college tuition levels.

But what he is pursuing with the bulk of his political strength is an expansion of Medicaid.

Bullock read nearly verbatim a statement he gave earlier that day at a press conference in Helena on the subject.

That statement came after a measure touse federal funds to help the working poor buy insurance was defeated in procedural votes in the House. One of those votes failed due to Democratic Rep. Tim Jacobson accidentally voting in opposition.

“No matter what anyone says, the winners aren’t a handful of folks in this building,” Bullock said. “The real winners are the residents of New Jersey and Arizona, who will now get to use Montana taxpayer dollars to improve the care of people in their states, while we get nothing.”

He said the losers are the 70,000 Montanans who “now will be forced to go without” access to quality, affordable care.

“These legislators who voted to send our tax dollars out of state are going to have to go home and tell their bosses why why they stood in the way of lower health car costs, stood in the way of good-paying jobs, stood in the way of access to affordable health care for tens of thousands of Montanans who desperately need it,” Bullock said.

Bullock blamed procedural tricks and “threats of dark money attacks” for killing the measure.

Bullock’s remarks came as part of the spring dinner held by the Flathead Democratic Party and Flathead Democratic Women.

The event also included a bead raffle, a live auction and a silent auction.