attorney general

Attorney General 2020

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RAPH GRAYBILL (D)

Graduate of Columbia University, Yale Law School, and the University of Oxford
Worked for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Chief Legal Counsel to Gov. Steve Bullock

Why did you decide to run for attorney general?

Partisan extremism in the current political system is failing us, and we need to do better. I decided to run after Governor Bullock and I took our current Attorney General to the Supreme Court to defend public lands and public access. We won. That experience drove home just how important it is for Montanans to have an advocate as Attorney General—someone really fighting for our values. It also underscored how many big fights we’d taken on in the Governor’s office, while our current Attorney General sat silent. We can do better. I’ve taken on big corporations who rip us off, held the federal government accountable, and defended our constitution. With so much at stake this year—especially access to healthcare and protections for pre-existing conditions—it’s essential that we elect an Attorney General who isn’t a partisan extremist like my opponent. I’ll put politics aside to do what’s right for Montana.

What experiences do you have that allow you to run for attorney general?

I am currently Chief Legal Counsel to Governor Bullock. In that position, I’ve gone to court to fight for Montanans and achieved important victories for our state. I’m the only candidate for Attorney General with experience winning big cases on behalf of Montana. Recently, I won the federal court case against out-of-state lawyers who wanted to end mail ballots for the November election. I’ve sued the IRS and federal government over dark money, keeping our elections transparent. I went before the Montana Supreme Court in a landmark case where we successfully defended Montana’s public lands and access. And I proudly fought all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to defend public schools and our Montana Constitution. This is the work that an Attorney General does. My opponent, by contrast, was a county attorney for just four months before running for Attorney General. He’s not ready. Before joining Governor Bullock, I worked in private practice taking on big healthcare corporations and multinational banks.

Why should MSU students vote for you?

I’m running to be an independent watchdog for our rights—not a partisan extremist like my opponent. I’m a fifth generation Montanan from Great Falls and served alongside the NYPD as an auxiliary police officer. I’ve worked with Republicans and Democrats to ban out-of-state special interests from buying our elections, and I’m fighting every day to protect Montanans from COVID-19. The biggest issue facing Montanans right now is healthcare. My opponent says the reason he’s running is to join an extremist lawsuit that would rip away protections for Montanans with pre-existing conditions, close rural hospitals, and make health insurance more expensive. That would be a disaster. I’ll fight every day to stop this lawsuit and defend the healthcare of our friends and loved ones. I’ll bring independence and integrity to the Attorney General’s office, fight for affordable healthcare, public lands, and I’ll always refuse donations from drug corporations. I’m also the only candidate in this race who has not taken a dime of corporate-linked PAC money.

In regards to the Black Lives Matter and Defund the police movements, how would you help to improve the relationship between law enforcement and minority communities?

The Attorney General has an important role to play in working to achieve equity and justice in our criminal justice system. All Montanans deserve to be treated equally under the law. The Montana Constitution enshrines the right to individual dignity—a protection unique to Montana, not found in other states. As Attorney General, I will work tirelessly to ensure our rights are not just words on paper but expanded and protected through the courts. I will respect and work alongside all communities of color in Montana, especially our indigenous communities. The Attorney General must partner with Montana’s native communities and ensure fairness and respect for tribal sovereignty in all dealings with the State of Montana. This includes, but is not limited to providing state resources to coordinate with native communities and solve the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. I have served in law enforcement as an auxiliary police officer and understand the importance of law enforcement and the challenges they face. I fundamentally reject the zero sum premise of the ‘defund the police’ movement. Improving our policing can’t be accomplished with such an absolutist mentality—and effective reforms often require funding. The Montana Department of Justice needs funding for our highway patrol to stop drug traffickers, the state crime labs to tests rape kits, and resources to help end the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. Defunding law enforcement will only make these issues worse.

Are you in favor of the proposition to legalize marijuana and why?

I will respect the decision of the people of Montana. If the initiatives pass, I will defend Montana vigorously against federal interference.

What is your top priority as attorney general in regards to higher education?

Defending Montana’s first-rate public education system from the current attack by out-of-state special interests who want to privatize it. I am a product of Montana’s public schools and know how important the success of those schools is to our communities. In Montana, the right to equal educational opportunities for every person is guaranteed by Article X of the constitution. And the funds dedicated to providing that right are protected as “sacred” and “inviolate.” But they nonetheless come under constant attack from politicians and special interests seeking to divert those resources. As an independent watchdog, I will defend the right to an education in Montana and ensure we make that right a reality by jealously guarding the funding necessary to do so. I have already fought in the U.S. Supreme Court to protect public education in Montana, and I will continue to do so as Attorney General. I will also fight to defend the protections in the ACA which enable many Montana students to access affordable healthcare. One of these protections requires insurance companies to offer dependent coverage up until the age of 26. This ensures many students can stay insured while gaining a higher education without incurring significant debt on top of their student loans. If my opponents’ extremist lawsuit succeeds, this is just one of the many benefits of the ACA that will disappear overnight.

There have been recent pushes by the Trump administration to privatize public lands, are you in favor of these positions, why?

Absolutely not. As Attorney General, I will fight to keep public lands in public hands. Plenty of politicians talk about public lands, but I have already gone to court to defend them, and won. When Land Board members tried to inject politics into public access to Montana’s great outdoors, I won a landmark case at the Supreme Court that protects Montana’s open spaces, ensures public access, and respects private property rights. I will bring that same independent advocacy to the Attorney General’s office, where I’ll continue to stand up for Montana families, public access to public lands, and responsible use of our resources. As an angler myself, I’m proud to be endorsed by the Montana Hunters and Anglers. I plan on using the full extent of the Attorney General’s powers in the courtroom and on the Montana Land Board to be an unwavering voice in support of Montana’s hunters, anglers, and recreationalists as well as lessees who farm and ranch on state trust lands. I also plan on creating a novel position, the Public Access Advocate, who will work under the auspices of the Attorney General’s office to coordinate fair, efficient resolutions to illegally blocked public access. My opponent, on the other hand, consistently voted against expanding access to public lands. He has voted against using hunting access fees to acquire public lands, and he opposed the state’s creation of state parks, recreation areas, and expanded hunting areas. That is not right for Montana—once we sell off our public lands, there will be no way to get them back.

Montana is a same-day voter registration state, would you make voter registration easier? Why and if so how?

Yes, voting is a right and should be easily accessible. As Attorney General, I will oversee the Motor Vehicle Division. On day one, I will implement an automatic voter registration through the MVD, so that when individuals receive a driver’s license or renew their driver’s license they would be automatically registered to vote.

AUSTIN KNUDSEN (R)