Something Has Changed
A short weekend note of reality and hope
Yesterday, there were 16 Hands Off rallies in Montana. One of the largest was here in Kalispell, the working center of Trump+33 Flathead County in the northwest corner of a Trump+20 state. More than 1500 people were protesting here yesterday. By far the largest political crowd any of us have ever seen, and far larger than most anyone could have imagined.
Since the election, I’ve heard many folks say things like “Montana is gone” or “it’s all red.” From what Montanans showed yesterday, that’s just not true.
While it’s undeniable that Trumpism has broken something in our politics, there is good reason to believe that breakage is not permanent. The resurgance of decency and reason may be happening here already.
Montana is far more complex and hopeful than lazy reporting suggests; it’s not “all red.” There is still a progressive thread in the people here, and as proof, Jon Tester, who lost his statewide senate race, won the western house district (MT01) by nearly 3000 votes.
Ryan Zinke, who currently holds this seat in Congress, is on every list of top competitive seats in the country. Zinke is about to face the midterm reality where turnout is usually 15% lower and voters are generally 4% more college-educated. Just those shifts in the electorate would seriously threaten Zinke in this district.
But here’s the real reason for this Sunday post. 2026 will not be just another typical midterm. There is a real possibility that Social Security will be cut, and it is almost entirely certain that the Trump Administration has already done irreparable damage to the agency that administers these benefits. There is a complete certainty that public lands will be threatened. There is complete certainty that VA benefits and staff will be cut and that veterans will die because of it. There is a high likelihood of drastic Medicaid cuts, which would harm tens of thousands of Montanans and probably bankrupt numerous healthcare operations in this state. There is a high likelihood that both Yellowstone and Glacier national parks will be forced to close all or part of the parks this summer. There is a complete certainty that access to our forests will be severely limited because of DOGE staffing cuts. There is now more than a 60% chance of a recession, mainly due to the insane Trump tariffs.
I could go on and on here, but it’s important to note that Ryan Zinke is either cheering or enabling every one of these disastrous policies right along with everyone else in his party. I’ve been around Montana politics for a while. There are MAGA devotees who will never leave, but these disastrous policies are going to be very unpopular with vast segments of midterm voters. They already are.
I’ve personally been involved in and spoken at literally hundreds of events. I know what it’s like to work to drum up people to attend protests and rallies, and I’m here to tell you something has changed. There were people in the crowd yesterday who were familiar to me, but there were hundreds I had never seen at any political event. Many of them spoke to the crowd. And importantly, the whole thing was “organized” by new people and organizations that have never been at the forefront of large movements. Together, the crowds across Montana exhibited a mix of desperation, fear, and hope. I will leave you with some images from Kalispell so that you can see them yourself.
If you care about democracy, Montana, and this nation, then I’m asking you to do what these folks did yesterday: Devote a little bit of every day to making sure that Montana changes course in 2026. Keep posting, demanding town halls, making calls, talking to your neighbors, making signs, and keeping the hope alive, Montana!! We are better than where we are right now!
WOW,, great to see in Montana.
Thank you, brother Ryan! We had a hell of a gathering in Billings!!