Both Mike Hebert and Dr. Albert Olszewski believe in small business, bolstering the Second Amendment and unifying the Republicans in the Montana House of Representatives.

Where the two differ is in how the party should proceed.

The two are battling June 3 for the Republican nomination in House District 11, which encompasses the area south of Kalispell along with Somers, Kila and Lakeside. The winner will face Democrat Kim Fleming in the November general election.

Hebert is wary of creeping government involvement in the lives of everyday Americans. That’s why his mantra is “protecting Montanans.”

The 41-year old small business owner in Kalispell wants other people to be able to follow in his footsteps, but wants to throw off strangling business regulations.

“Unfortunately due to the increase of size of government, trying to carve out a business isn’t easy any more,” Hebert said. “The less government involved, the better the chances are that guy is going to make a successful business.”

He wants to make Montana a tantalizing prospect for businesses, perhaps offering incentives such as reducing tax burdens. He cites the recent move of 3,000 Toyota jobs from California to business-friendly Texas.

“It’s not just taxes that are hurting business,” Hebert said. “Workman’s comp is pretty high and with Obamacare, it’s really hurting people.”

The Affordable Care Act is where Hebert draws the biggest difference between himself and his opponent. He said Olszewski has “flip-flopped” on Obamacare and Medicaid expansion.

“I’ve had a concise and clean message over my opponent,” he said. “He was the spokesman for [Medicaid expansion] last year. That expansion was going to hurt the people on Medicaid.”

Hebert said he believes Obamacare should be repealed since it is “ruining the American health care system.”

Education is vital to Hebert, since his mother and sister are educators and he earned a degree from Flathead Valley Community College.

“It’s extremely important that people have access to higher forms of education,” Hebert said. “It helps make opportunities for business.”

The ongoing water rights compact with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes is something Hebert is deeply invested in. He doesn’t want Montanans to lose rights for water, nor does he want to see property or gun rights be infringed upon.

“Just because every Montanan has a gun doesn’t mean we can’t be diligent in protecting the Second Amendment,” Hebert said.

An avid hunter and fisherman, he served in the 75th Airborne Infantry and has run for FVCC’s board of trustees in the past.

Olszewski, an orthopedic surgeon, has taken a keen interest in the future of health care in Montana.

It irks him that he has been portrayed as someone with shifting tendencies because he spoke about Medicaid expansion last year. His membership in an organization that collectively seems to swing more liberal than he does personally left him in a tight spot.

“The Montana Medical Association, as a whole, supported [Medicaid expansion] and the leadership asked me to speak,” Olszewski said. “I believe that if you belong to an organization, you support it. I’m loyal to my organizations.”

An opponent of the failed expansion effort in Montana, Olszewski said he believes the “health care gap” between those eligible for Affordable Care Act policies and those who can receive Medicaid will not be solved by an expansion of Medicaid. He would rather see those Obamacare policies be made more available.

“I firmly believe we need a comprehensive reform of Medicaid,” Olszewski said. “I’d rather see the expansion come from the top down — with insurance — than from expanding Medicaid. That just puts people on welfare and they can get stuck there. That’s no good for anybody.”

Olszewski served 13 years in the Air Force and was one of the first emergency responders to the Oklahoma City bombings in 1995.

Like his opponent, Olszewski is highly pro-gun, pro-life and pro-family.

If elected, he promises to be his own man in office.

“I think debate is important,” he said. “If you believe in something, you should argue for it. I’m objective. I try and talk myself out of pre-conceived thoughts and approach things with an open mind.”

Olszewski, who ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2012, said his interest in politics was sparked by the many effects of Obamacare.

“The way I interact with my patients has radically changed in the last six or seven years,” he said. “What I see a need for is a health-care policy expert as a legislator.”

He is the Montana delegate for the Physicians’ Council for Responsible Reform, a conservative think tank that seeks to defeat legislation changing health-care funding.

Olszewski spends much of his time with his family and would like to be able to horsepack into the Bob Marshall Wilderness more often.

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.