Holding the Line in Montana
Saving the Senate with calls to Montana seniors
By Bruce Watson
The sky is big in Montana but, in politics at least, it’s not as blue as it once was. That’s why a group of older Montanans has organized to honor the state’s progressive traditions and to elect progressive Democrats, Independents, and solution-oriented Republicans. They are now working hard to help Jon Tester win re-election, so the Democrats don’t lose the Senate. And they can use all the help they can get.
Big Sky 55+, operating out of a small office in the capital city of Helena, is reaching across the enormous state, where more than half of all voters are 55 and older. With Tester’s vital Senate race on the line, plus state legislature seats and two state Supreme Court judgeships up for grabs, Big Sky 55+ is striving to make Montana pink if not purple.
“We remember a time when Montana was very progressive,” said executive director Margie MacDonald. “And it was not that long ago. Our last Democratic governorship ended in 2020, and we have lots of hope, depending on who engages and who votes, that we can pull back some of these seats and stir enthusiasm for a variety of progressive causes.”
Founded in 2018, Big Sky 55+ now has 2,500 members. These include teachers, farmers, ranchers, conservationists, faith leaders, health professionals, firefighters, small business owners, attorneys, community volunteers, union members, and more.
Although Montana sent the first woman to Congress (Jeanette Rankin in 1917), no one expects the Treasure State to vote for Kamala Harris. Yet other candidates and issues remain within reach. Primary among these is Senator Tester.
The three-term Democrat won by a comfortable 3.5 percent in 2012 and 2018. But this year Tester faces a strong challenge from Republican Tim Sheehy, a pro-Trump former Navy SEAL with no political experience. Though Tester has protected clean air and water, boosted infrastructure, and brought millions to Montana, he has watched his state redden around him. He is the last remaining statewide Democrat, and he now probably trails Sheehy.
Tester’s loss could flip the Senate, a danger that has brought the race nationwide attention. While both Republicans and Democrats pour tens of millions into the campaign, Big Sky 55+ is tapping prairie grassroots. The group recently organized a 1,500-mile whistle stop tour from Glendive, near the North Dakota border, to Missoula on the edge of the Rockies. Along with talking about Tester, the tour featured Alex Lawson of the DC-based Social Security Works discussing issues important to elders, including long-term health care, infrastructure, and of course, Social Security.
Though Tester is a priority, Big Sky 55+ is also challenging Montana’s super-majority Republican legislature, which seems bent on changing the 1972 state constitution. Some two dozen of the legislature’s extreme laws have been overturned by the Montana Supreme Court, MacDonald said. With two seats open on the court, Big Sky 55+ is backing justices Jerry Lynch and Katherine Bidegaray.
Contrary to the group’s name, you don’t have to be 55+ to join Big Sky 55+. “We say that your dues can be your age. If you’re 45, you can pay 45 dollars. But it’s just a joke. We have a low bar for contributing.”
Neither do the group’s supporters have to be from Montana. MacDonald encourages phone banking, membership, newsletter subscriptions and donations from Americans nationwide at bigsky55.org. People can sign up to phone bank here.
“We are not as red as the states we’re surrounded by,” MacDonald said, “though we are trending that way due to national politics, social media, and right-wing radio. But Montana has many older adults who remember our progressive history and we aren’t conceding anything.”
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