Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress Kathleen Williams made a stop in Superior on March 15 to talk about issues facing Montana voters. Six locals gathered around a table at Durango’s restaurant and shared a cup of coffee with her and told her what was on their minds with discussions ranging from gun control to wilderness areas. Diane Magone, who is running as a Democrat in the House District 14 race, helped to organize the event.

Williams, of Bozeman, is the daughter of a World War II veteran and the wife of an Iraq war vet who has a served on the legislature in 2011, 2013 and 2015. She served on both the natural resources and taxation committees in 2015 and has a strong progressive advocacy record of non-discrimination, economic justice, and women’s rights.

One question that was raised concerned her stance on the gun control issue. She supports expanded background checks regarding gun control and banning bump stocks and AR-15 assault rifles.

“We need people who will stand up to power whether it’s the NRA or big pharma and who aren’t going to be bought. I am willing to stand up against assault weapons,” she said. “I am a gun owner and a sports woman and so was my husband. But AR-15’s should only be used in controlled environments like machine guns are now.”

There was also a discussion about how AR-15’s are designed to kill and have no purpose being on the streets of society.

Williams also discussed the need to raise a new generation of sports men and women in Montana and how she has supported youth hunting organizations in the past. She also has a master’s degree in outdoor recreation and understands the value of the forests and the multiple uses wilderness, habitat, watersheds, and harvesting timber have on creating and maintaining a healthy ecosystem.

She disagrees with Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Greg Gianforte’s recent wilderness study area bills in which over 770,000 acres would be returned to a non-wilderness designation. She feels the bills are a “slap in the face to the public process” and that legislation is not the way to deal with the issues.

“There are currently two forest plan revisions going on and they are trying to have good faith public involvement in the process. People are working hard with proposals which will be a hybrid between quiet wilderness areas and recreation,” she said.

She feels that relationships and connections are what makes her candidacy strong in her run against incumbent Greg Gianforte and is running on a platform containing five top issues: Health care, education, climate change, restoring equality, and restoring our place in the world.

With a 34-year career in natural resources she has stood on the front line and witnessed how changes in the climate have affected ranchers and farmers. With changes on water, and longer, dryer fire seasons she said the agriculture community understands about climate change and are trying to adapt. While in the legislature she served on the Governor’s Drought Committee and the Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission.

“Two things need to happen. We need to be able to have adult conversations about it and agree that it’s happening and also look at tools we can use. We also need to get back into the Paris Climate Accord and advance things like renewable energy,” Williams said.

In the U.S. House race, Williams joins several candidates who will be on the ballot for the primary election on June 5, including Democrats John Heenan of Billings, Grant Kier of Missoula, Lynda Moss of Billings, Jared Pettinato of Bozeman, and John Meyer from Bozeman.

Also running for the House are Green Party member Doug Campbell of Bozeman and Libertarian Elinor Swanson from Billings. Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte is running to keep his seat he won in a special election last May.