Guest opinions: Support for Bodnar

I grew up hunting and fishing in South Dakota's Black Hills, and I've called Montana home since college. I'm an enrolled Oglala Lakota Sioux member, and my family carries five generations of farming and ranching — a legacy of responsible stewardship.
As a water quality scientist, I protect the clean water our communities and way of life depend on.
None of that makes me a straight-ticket voter. I'm fiscally conservative and lean progressive on some social issues. But for Montana's U.S. Senate seat, I vote for the candidate who will fight hardest for our landscape, our water, and the people relying on both. That candidate is Seth Bodnar.
Public lands access, healthy rivers, and working farms and ranches aren't partisan issues in Montana — they're the foundation of who we are. Seth understands defending them takes more than talking points — real commitment to those who hunt, fish, farm, and depend on clean water daily.
Montana can't afford a divided field that hands this seat away. I respectfully ask Democrat Alani Bankhead to drop out of the race.
I'm asking Montanans, whatever their party, to unite behind Seth Bodnar, who can win and will put our land, our water, and our people first. 

— Russell Conti, Bozeman  

Over the last several years, there have been a number of attempts to eliminate federal management of our public lands in Montana either by transferring them to state management or by selling them off to the private sector.  With each and every attempt, in public rally after public rally, Montanans across the state have voiced their opposition to transferring our pubic lands to private ownership.   

In November, Montana voters will have an opportunity to ensure that our public lands stay in public hands. Seth Bodnar is running for the U.S. Senate as an independent. There are many reasons to elect Seth for the U.S. Senate. His plan to protect our public lands is but one of them. His campaign calls our public lands “our birthright and our common ground…”. He will also work tirelessly to ensure that the public has unrestricted access to public lands.  

If elected, he will replace an incumbent U.S. Senator who, time and again, has attempted to abolish our Wilderness Study Areas and open them up for energy development.  Seth will not be swayed by special interest groups who wish only to exploit our natural resources or to obtain public lands for private gain.  

We in Montana can count on Seth Bodnar to vote for our interests. For those of us who are concerned about Montana’s public lands, he is the only logical choice for our next U.S. Senator.   

— Larry Robson, Huntley  

Despite what trickle-down advocates shout from the rooftops, most billionaires and corporations don't send benefits downstream. They amass wealth by stripping workers of negotiating power, buying political favors, and pocketing what should be workers' wages. A rising tide should lift all boats — not just the yachts. 

Montana Democrats and Independents know this travesty has to stop, and a first step is wresting control of Congress from the GOP this November.
But here's a reality check: we can't take Montana's U.S. Senate seat from Republican Kurt Alme by fighting amongst ourselves. That splits our vote and hands the seat to a rubber stamp for billionaire tax cuts and the sell-off of public lands. 

I honor both Democrat Alani Bankhead and Independent Seth Bodnar; each has served our state and nation well. But our political gamesmanship has to end. One needs to drop out, for the good of Montana. 

A June poll found Bodnar and Alme deadlocked at 50–50 head-to-head — but showed Bodnar dropping to 25% once a Democrat joins. Independents can win here — if Democrats stand down. It's time to unite behind the candidate who can win: Seth. 

— Michael May, Billings