Energy, new ideas and a new generation of leadership for Montana

I’m a farmer, a businessman, and an optimist who believes in bright ideas that change things for the better. I’ve never been a fan of simply sticking with the status quo, and I think we need more leaders who don’t shy away from a challenge or a fight.

That’s exactly why I’m supporting Whitney Williams to be Montana’s next governor.

Whitney is the real deal. Smart. Tough. Committed. Just like me, Whitney didn’t spend most of her life in government. Instead, she’s a businesswoman with the know-how needed to challenge every expense and the vision to grow an economy that works for all corners of our state. Whitney will bring energy, new ideas and a new generation of leadership to Helena.

We need that more than ever right now.

When I first ran for governor, the nice fellow who ran against me on the Republican side said that he’d been elected and re-elected to the Montana Legislature for 30 years. He bragged about being president of the Montana Senate and Secretary of State -- claiming that only a lifelong politician knew how to run the business of government.

So, I put my credentials up against his. I had a master’s degree from MSU, had worked all over the country and the world and then came home to Montana to start and run businesses. I said, “If I can run those kinds of businesses, and surround myself with smart people, then I think I can run the business of Montana.”

I won, and it was a new day in Montana.

See, Montanans don’t want their governor telling them what they can’t accomplish. They want a governor who is a tough-minded optimist and entrepreneur, someone willing to get their hands dirty and someone who looks to the future instead of just clinging to the past.

That’s who Whitney Williams is. She’s a Montanan.

Whitney graduated from the University of Montana, learned politics from her Mom and Dad, Carol and Pat Williams, worked in the White House and then started her own business from scratch 20 years ago — working hand-in-hand with leading businesses from around the world.

Whitney is the only Democrat in this race with the Montana backbone to stand up to pharmaceutical and insurance companies that keep gouging Montanans. Whitney’s got the toughness to protect our public lands from rich out-of-staters like Greg Gianforte who want to sell them to the highest bidder — billionaires suing to keep you and me out of our favorite fishing holes and elk trails.

Elections are always about the future. Whitney Williams is the one Democrat in this race who represents the promise and potential of a stronger future for Montana.

Whitney’s got my vote — and I hope she can count on yours.

—Brian Schweitzer is former governor of Montana. He lives on Gerogetown Lake.