By Chad Sokol, Kianna Gardner and Bret Anne Serbin

Voters in Flathead County are as divided as the nation on key issues like gun rights, access to abortion and the president's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

They also have divergent views about which party's candidates would offer better solutions on public lands and other issues central to Montana politics.

In the final stretch of the campaign season, The Daily Inter Lake interviewed residents and voters in Kalispell, Whitefish and Columbia Falls to get a sense of their priorities in this election, what makes them enthusiastic and what makes them anxious or scared.

For Roy Morgan, a Columbia Falls resident who worked at a lumber mill for 20 years, a top priority is reviving the logging industry – something he believes would "solve a lot of problems."

Morgan said he likes President Donald Trump and worries what Democrats would do with more political power. He also wants better access to public lands.

"I'm a gun person. I like to hunt and fish. I like that freedom," he said. "I really am concerned about them taking our guns away."

Meanwhile, Patricia Sonstelie believes Trump "has ruined the United States" and its relationships with foreign allies, and has failed to keep the pandemic under control.

"He's just an evil man," said Sonstelie, who lives in Kalispell.

The 84-year-old said she's always identified as a Democrat, "but I've always voted for the person that I thought would do the best job, whether it was a Democrat or a Republican."

This year, Sonstelie voted for Democrats up and down the ballot, including former Vice President Joe Biden.

"Biden's going to do everything he can to square away the mess that Trump has created and has left," she said. "It's not going to be easy."

Karen Martin, another Columbia Falls resident, said she opposes Trump but feels there are few good candidates running.

"There's only a couple I'd support," Martin said. Regarding Trump and many other Republicans, she said, "I don't like their attitudes. It makes me sick."

For Bonnie Closson, a Christian conservative and 48-year resident of the Flathead Valley, the highest priority is electing candidates who oppose abortion.

"I can't vote for anyone who believes in abortion," said Closson, who lives in Whitefish.

Closson said she was voting for Trump and also praised his relationship with Israel.

"The Bible talks at length about blessing Israel," she said. "I believe that relationship is holy and important."

Access to abortion is of utmost concern for Bonnie Zepnick, another longtime Whitefish resident who regularly demonstrates downtown against Trump and Republican policies.

A lifelong liberal and substitute teacher, Zepnick, 59, recalled celebrating the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion. With a new 6-3 conservative majority on the court following last week's confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Trump nominee, Zepnick fears that landmark ruling may now be overturned.

Zepnick said she was voting for Democrats up and down the ballot, including Biden and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, who is leaving that office and challenging Republican Steve Daines for his seat in the U.S. Senate.

Zepnick believes Bullock has handled the pandemic well overall, though she said he "could be more forceful" in adopting and enforcing various public health measures. She's especially frustrated with the response – or lack of response – from local officials, and believes Democrat Kristen Larson has a shot at winning a seat on the Flathead County Commission.

"Many of the issues we are facing in this county won't be corrected until we flip the commission," she said. "People are paying attention to what our commissioners say and do, and I think enough people are fed up with them."

Joni and Russ Lineberry, of Columbia Falls, said they strongly oppose abortion and that's their strongest motivation when voting.

"We are pretty much straight-ahead, Republican, pro-life, pro-country, pro-family," Russ Lineberry said. "That's where we're coming from."

The couple said they didn't mark their ballots on the question of Initiative 190, which would legalize the sale and recreational use of marijuana in Montana. Russ said they preferred to "let the people decide."

Ryan Peterson, 35-year-old Whitefish resident who relocated from Minnesota in 2018, considers himself a moderate and said he was voting for Bullock and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike Cooney for various reasons, including their promises to keep public lands public.

Peterson said he's an advocate for renewable energy but progress requires time and investment.

"We can't just flip a switch and go completely green," he said. "We need better infrastructure before that can happen. In the long term, though, I would like to see us move toward clean energy. I think that can happen."

Peterson also strongly believes marijuana should be legalized, and tax revenue from pot sales should be used to address the state's mental-health crisis and provide better pay for teachers. And like several Flathead County residents, he said access to abortion has been top of mind this campaign season.

"I believe the decisions men make in government should not have any bearing on what a woman does with her body," he said.

Reporter Chad Sokol can be reached at 758-4434 or csokol@dailyinterlake.com

Reporter Kianna Gardner can be reached at 758-4407 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin can be reached at 758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.