Political debates matter.
They provide voters with an important opportunity to learn about new candidates and their ideas, and to give incumbents a chance to defend their records. Having an open forum before an election, where candidates can lay out their differing opinions and policy ideas, has long been a part of America’s democracy.
So why is our unpopular governor, Greg Gianforte, avoiding the debate stage with Democratic candidate Ryan Busse?
It could be that Gianforte knows his property tax increase will almost certainly come up. Thanks to Gianforte and the Republican supermajority in the Legislature, the average property tax increased for Montana homeowners by 21%, a devastating blow for working Montanans and their families. What’s worse? Instead of calling an emergency session and taking care of the crisis in one fell swoop, Gianforte continues to falsely blame counties and cities, so corporations and the wealthy can silently continue to reap the benefits while working Montanans have to tighten their belts. Maybe he doesn’t want to explain why his own personal property taxes went down, while virtually every one of his neighbors got stuck with higher taxes.
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Or maybe Gianforte is avoiding the debate stage because he knows his dangerous agenda of attacking a woman’s right to reproductive freedom and privacy is wildly unpopular. Gianforte signed a slate of restrictions into law after the legislative session, including a 15-week ban on abortion, which was blocked from going into effect by the courts. Montanans know Gianforte is proud of his extreme, anti-freedom agenda, and he might be nervous to take the stage because he knows he’ll be picked apart for his extremist record of restricting reproductive rights.
In Gianforte’s Montana, housing prices and taxes are skyrocketing and women’s freedoms are under attack. It’s no wonder the governor has refused to participate in not just one, but two debates!
In June, Busse agreed to a televised, nonpartisan debate sponsored by Montana PBS, Montana Public Radio, Yellowstone Public Radio and Lee Montana scheduled for October. In July, Busse accepted a second invitation to debate this month from the City Club of Missoula, which is hosting other debates among Montana’s statewide candidates.
Meanwhile, Gianforte is hiding from voters and refusing to accept either invitation.
It’s clear as day: Gianforte is too scared to defend his own record and refuses to make himself accessible to voters. Montanans deserve a governor who’s proud to share their vision and defend their record on the debate stage. Will the governor do his job, or will he chicken out?
Sheila Hogan is executive director of the Montana Democratic Party. She grew up in Butte and now lives in Helena with her husband, Jim.
