Governor - Mike Cooney

MIKE COONEY (D)

• Current Lieutenant Governor
• Former State Senator for District 26
• Montana Secretary of State (1989-2000)

Why did you decide to run for governor?

Throughout my career in public service, I've led on increasing wages and job opportunities, on protecting and expanding access to affordable healthcare, and defending our public lands. I've dedicated my life to serving Montanans, and I have the record of results to prove it.

I'm running for governor to bring Republicans and Democrats together to lead Montana out of the COVID crisis, jumpstart our economy and keep Montanans working, bring down the costs of prescription drugs, and stand up to outside special interests who want to sell our public lands -- like Greg Gianforte.

Why should MSU students vote for you? 

This campaign pits a fourth generation Montanan, who has served Montanans throughout his career and delivered results, against a multimillionaire from New Jersey, who sued Montanans to block stream access near his riverfront mansion, praised a statewide sales tax as an "ideal solution," and then skipped more votes than 93% of his colleagues in Congress.

I've fought to secure health care for 90,000 Montanans – Greg Gianforte has voted to strip it away.

I've worked to expand access to more than 250,000 acres of public lands – Greg Gianforte wrote legislation in Congress to strip protections from 700,000 acres of public lands.

I've helped create 46,000 news jobs in Montana – Greg Gianforte built a business based on outsourcing American jobs.

The choice this election couldn't be more clear.

What would your top priority as a governor be concerning higher education?

When it comes to education, my priorities are:

Protecting the health & safety of all our students, reducing the college debt burden, maintaining the freeze on college tuition hikes, and writing a Student Borrower Bill of Rights. I'm committed to building the state’s workforce by increasing funding for 2-year institutions investing in career and technical education in middle and high schools, and supporting good-paying jobs by funding the Quality Educator Payment, supporting the Apprenticeship Tax Credit, and protecting pensions.

When I'm Governor, we're going to invest in Montana’s future leaders by securing a public pre-K program, and investing in remote learning resources, supporting the lunch debt waiver, and increasing funding for special education.

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

I am, and I support allowing Montanans to decide this issue. I think we need a common-sense strategy that suits Montana's needs to address it.

In the previous legislative session, Medicaid expansion was reauthorized, as governor would you work with both parties to reauthorize Montana’s Medicaid expansion program again? 

Alongside Gov. Bullock, I worked with Republicans and Democrats to reauthorize Medicaid, securing health care for nearly 90,000 Montanans.

My opponent wants that health care taken away from Montanans, but anyone who wants to mess with Medicaid expansion is going to have to come through me first.

I'll always support Montanans' access to quality, affordable health care. Period.

What plans and policies do you have to help the Montana economy recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?

Working alongside Gov. Bullock, I've worked tirelessly to lead Montana through the COVID-19 pandemic. When I'm elected, I'll continue to follow the best science and public health expertise to keep Montanans safe.

Meanwhile, Greg Gianforte touts personal responsibility as the way to defeat COVID, but he has refused to wear a mask in public and has touted herd immunity as a solution to the pandemic, despite studies that show it could kill more than 10,000 Montanans. Just last week, Gianforte was panned by 100+ health care professionals for threatening Montanans' health and safety by refusing to take the pandemic seriously – Gianforte simply can't be trusted to lead Montana through a once-in-a-lifetime public health emergency.

With the polarizing political climate that we currently are experiencing how do you plan to work across the aisle to get bills passed?

I'll work with Democrats and Republicans alike to deliver results for Montanans, because that's how I've worked my entire life. Working with Republicans and Democrats:

I helped secure access to quality, affordable health care for 1-in-10 Montanans,

Expand access to more than 250,000 acres of public lands,

And helped bring 46,000 new jobs to Montana.

That's exactly how I'll continue to lead when I'm elected in November.

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?

Black lives matter. Full stop. It’s our responsibility as leaders to listen to communities, especially marginalized communities, about the challenges and struggles they face. As Governor, I'll work with law enforcement and our minority communities to repair frayed relationships and rebuild trust to make sure that all Montanans can feel safe and secure in our state.