Standing in the backyard garden of a Helena home in mid-July, Ryan Busse told the crowd of Democratic supporters a story about how he plans to win the Montana governor’s seat, ousting Republican incumbent Greg Gianforte.
The 54-year-old Flathead Valley resident, a longtime hunter, recalled harvesting a bull elk near Kalispell last fall. He didn’t have time to butcher it before hitting the road for a campaign trip to eastern Montana. But, Busse reasoned, someone in the almost 600 miles between his home and Miles City was bound to be willing to help him out.
As the story goes, a few phone calls led Busse to Bob Ingram, who processes meat at his home near Havre. But while the location might have been convenient, Busse’s contact warned him that Ingram wasn’t exactly known for supporting Democrats.
Busse’s response, as he’s told fundraiser attendees: I couldn’t care less.
“I live in Kalispell. My next-door neighbor has the world record for Trump flags and he’s still a good dude,” Busse recalled saying. “I’m just looking for someone to help me out.”
Sure enough, Busse said, Ingram’s property was marked by a “huge” flag endorsing former President Donald Trump. Undeterred, the Democrat turned into the driveway to meet Ingram. After sorting out payment and shipping logistics, the two got to talking. Busse eventually told Ingram he was a Democrat running against Gianforte.
In Busse’s telling, Ingram opened up.
“He goes, ‘Ryan, you know I love Donald Trump.’ I said, ‘You know, Bob, I’m a ranch kid. I’m pretty smart. I’ve been picking up what you’ve been laying down,’” Busse recounted. “Then he looks at me a long time and goes, ‘But I really hate that Greg Gianforte.’”
The crowd of mostly gray-haired, dyed-in-the-wool Democrats cheered. Busse had arrived at the moral of his story. Without missing a beat, he sent his supporters on a mission.
“A lot of you have friends like this you may not see eye to eye with on some stuff. It’s time to let the national politics fade away,” he said. “We’re going to win this election, but we’re going to do it partially because people like you find the Bobs in your life and you talk to them and you convert them.”
As the November election looms, Busse and his campaign, including running mate Raph Graybill, have publicly acknowledged what political advisers and academics privately take for granted: The Democratic challenger, a political novice, cannot win his race with support from Democrats alone.
“People are ready for a change, but it hinges entirely on what we do in the next 95 days,” Graybill said during a convening of Democratic voters at Helena’s Pride celebration in late July. “It requires having the tough conversation with your Trumpy uncle who might get converted on these issues … The votes are there. They are ready to do the right thing. But as we leave here today, it is up to us to make sure that it happens.”
“A lot of you have friends like this you may not see eye to eye with on some stuff. It’s time to let the national politics fade away.”
Ryan Busse
…
