Incumbent state Rep. Tony Brockman, R-Evergreen, sparred with his GOP challenger Lukas Schubert over who was more fit to serve House District 8 during a candidate forum Wednesday.

“I think that it is important that you hear from me regarding … a number of statements that my primary opponent has made about me,” Brockman said during his introduction at the forum, organized by the Northwest Montana Association of Realtors and the Evergreen Chamber of Commerce. 

Brockman accused Schubert of saying he is an atheist, that he is funded by the same donors that back Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ryan Busse and that he had no role in securing money for sidewalks along U.S. 2 in Evergreen. 

“He claims that I had nothing to do with securing the second phase of the evergreen sidewalk project, which is complete bull[expletive],” Brockman said. 

In response, Schubert — who described himself as a “Christian, conservative, Republican, Gen-Z candidate” — denied calling Brockman an atheist but stood firm on some of the other points Brockman raised. 

“Let's talk about the sidewalks, I’ve never said that Brockman has zero credit for it, however the reality is that he’s overblowing the degree in which he, personally, got the sidewalks,” Schubert said. 

Brockman introduced legislation to secure funding for the sidewalks, but it was tabled in committee. Funding for the project was later included in a larger statewide budget bill, but the money now headed to Evergreen for sidewalk construction is coming from a federal grant.

Brockman worked with legislators to get the provisions included in the state budget bill in case the federal government nixed the project for grant funds.

Moderators intervened as the back-and-forth grew heated, asking the pair to stay on topic.

BETH SIBERT, a Democrat running for the district, was also on hand, saying she opted to run to bring political diversity and possibly compromise to the Legislature. 

“One of my goals is to help fill some of those blue seats so we can have a more of a purple outcome where we’re working together,” Sibert said as she introduced herself. “Kind of how the government was designed to work.” 

The forum, held in Evergreen, addressed a multitude of issues with several questions aimed at housing. Sibert expressed her willingness to work with experts to develop policies geared toward alleviating the housing crunch while Schubert said Montana must address the government burden to produce and maintain homes to lessen the cost of housing. Tackling the supply issue is the first step, he said. 

Brockman encouraged members of the community to reach out to city councils and the county commissioners with their concerns, but also pointed toward some housing initiatives and related legislation undertaken in the previous legislative session.

The candidates were also asked about whether Montana should include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes under state fair housing laws, alongside age, race, creed, familial status, national origin, religion, color, sex, marital status and disability.

Sibert said she was in favor of the inclusion, arguing for protecting all residents, regardless of their personal identities, when it comes to housing.

Brockman’s response was less direct, but he said that the constitution is supposed to protect everyone’s rights “regardless of the labels we put on ourselves or each other.” 

Schubert said he opposed the possible change and took the opportunity to criticize Brockman.

“You know I’m going to be a no on this, this is the exact type of far-left woke ideology that has been creeping into our state for decades so I am against this and I wanna point out that my opponent, he couldn’t give a clear answer, not a yes or no, it's a pretty simple answer,” Schubert said.

He thanked Sibert for expressing her view, though it differed from his.

The candidates were also asked to describe why they are best fit to represent Evergreen. Sibert, who grew up around Tally Lake, said that she has a lot of relatable experiences and values that relate to the district’s constituents. 

As a kid, whenever her family would “go into town,” that meant Evergreen. 

Schubert stressed his political ideology. 

“I believe that the Evergreen community is a very conservative community with conservative values. I’m conservative, I have conservative values, so I think that makes me a pretty good match,” Schubert said. 

Schubert also mentioned previously campaigning for Republican candidates in Evergreen, which put him in front of many voters in the unincorporated community. 

Brockman highlighted his volunteer work, growing up in Evergreen, being from a blue-collar family and his lifelong ties to the community.

“[Schubert] is right, we are a conservative community, but not in the way he just described,” Brockman said. “We’re independently minded … We’re blue collar, we’re limited income, we’re people that want to go to work.”

The candidates also discussed Evergreen’s marijuana dispensary sector, school transportation, short term rentals, a state sales tax and immigration. 

The Republican primary is June 4. Sibert will square off against either Brockman or Schubert in the November election.

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 406-758-4459.