Our endorsements - Billings area
Margie MacDonald - Senate District 26
Sen. Margie MacDonald is a lifelong leader, mom, wife, and proven lawmaker who fights hard for the most vulnerable in our community--like victims of human trafficking. She knows that we’re all safer when law enforcement can focus resources on stopping dangerous offenders while Montanans with substance abuse and mental health issues get the treatment they need. Margie knows how to be tough on predators. She’s proven that by passing laws that allow authorities to intercept predators who groomed children online before they can get to them in person, and make sure that serious domestic abuse like partner strangulation is treated as a felony.
Margie values our neighborhoods and wants our tax dollars put right back in our schools, parks, and infrastructure. She's passed laws protecting homeowners from bogus home inspectors, increasing medical access for folks enduring hardship, and establishing an opioid registry. She successfully fought to shield working families in her district from being evicted for as little as $75 in property tax delinquency. Margie also carried a bill to leverage $500 MILLION in low interest loans for affordable housing.
Margie is our neighbor. She knows how to be Montana tough on predatory sexual violence while extending a helping hand to those struggling and at risk of falling through the cracks. She’s fighting for a future where our kids can stay right here with quality affordable housing and schools, prosperity for all, and honest government. She's a consistent, effective, and principled voice for us in Helena.
Anne Giuliano - House District 51
Anne Giuliano is board certified physician practicing in Diagnostic Radiology and Interventional Radiology. Dr. Giuliano moved to Billings in 1999 and has been practicing in the community ever since. She has in depth knowledge of the healthcare system - not only as a provider, but also as a small business owner, as a patient and a caregiver. She knows how poorly the system functions and how frustrating it can be to navigate insurance, doctors and administrators to get needed care.
In 2018 Anne joined the Riverstone Board of Health and helps look after the community healthcare needs of Yellowstone county.
In addition to a healthcare agenda, Anne is a champion of public education, small business, unions and renewable energy.
When not helping Montanans, she spends her time volunteering at the local animal shelter, knitting, spinning yarn and engaging in all things in the fiber arts field. She shares her life with her husband of 30+years (Jim) and 3 cats.
Hannah Olson - House District 52
Hannah moved to Billings in 2013 and is a resident of the Billings Southside. She has a master’s in public relations, works in nonprofit development, and is an avid community volunteer. Hannah has a four-year-old daughter with her partner, Ben. She’s running because she is devoted to finding solutions that empower her community and create a better future for Montana.
Qualifications:
Education:
Master of Science in Public Relations
Bachelor of Art in English
Associate of Art in Secondary Education
Has worked for local nonprofits in fundraising and development
Volunteer experience & community involvement:
Board Member on the Board of Community Development for the City of Billings
Board Member for Chinook Horses, a local equine therapy nonprofit
Board Member for the Montana State University Billings Alumni Association
Member of the Junior League of Billings
Court Appointed Special Advocate for CASA of Yellowstone County
Jade Bahr - House District 50
Jade Bahr grew up spending time between the Apsaalooke Reservation and Billings, MT. After high school, Jade earned a Bachelor's degree in Sociology with an emphasis in Inequalities and Social Justice from the University of Montana. She has spent the last 12 years in jobs that support some of our most vulnerable people and is currently helping adults with disability find work. Today she serves as the current Representative for House District 50 and continues to be an engaged member of the Billings community, focusing on standing up for social justice.
Emma Kerr-Carpenter - House District 49
Emma Kerr-Carpenter lives in the heart of House District 49. During the 2019 legislative
session she fought to defend healthcare for all Montanans, protect the environment, and
strengthen public education. She’s actively involved in her faith community, Billings First
Congregational Church, and serves on the board of Northern Plains Resource Council
where she chairs the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. She has spent her career
working with youth and their families to overcome poverty, trauma, and crisis.
Emma and her husband, Dan, are planning to raise their kids in Billings. She wants the
Montana they grow up in to reflect the values that make this place home—neighbors
helping neighbors.
When she is not working, Emma can be found hiking or in her kitchen crafting (and eating)
delicious food.
Jen Gross - Senate District 25
Sometimes in life you find yourself somewhere you never planned or expected to be, but you must open your heart and mind to the challenges presented because often they become opportunities. 82 days before the 2016 election, I found myself in a room of Yellowstone County Democrats asking me to replace Senator Robyn Driscoll on the ballot and mount a campaign to hold the Billings seat. I said YES. I worked harder than I have on any campaign, knocking nearly 4,000 doors and registering 150 new voters in my own neighborhood and community. Montana Republicans spent tens of thousands of dollars in an attempt to discredit me with a rather mean-spirited negative mail blitz. I ignored their slanderous attacks and worked hard, knowing my integrity would be seen when I looked voters in the eye. I listened to the people in my district and promised to represent and their interests in Helena. I won by 96 votes. Then I went to Helena for my first term as a Montana State Senator. I worked hard to build relationships across the aisle, learn the process, and be an effective legislator. I threw myself into the work and to my surprise, I found I was good at my job. While there were some disappointments, I am proud of the work we accomplished in the Senate and as a legislative body. I sponsored two bills that were signed into law by Governor Bullock and helped defeat a number of bills that would have rolled back systems in place to protect hard-working Montanans of all stripes. We have a long way to go in Montana to fix longstanding problems, and my pledge to my constituents and to all Montanans is to continue working hard for you.
Kathy Kelker - House District 47
Kathy Kelker taught English and special education for 30 years. She was the founder and executive director of Parents, Let’s Unite for Kids (PLUK), a statewide program for parents of children with disabilities. She served as a trustee on the Billings School Board for 15 years. Kathy retired as an Assistant professor of Special Education at MSU-Billings and then retired a second time as Executive Director of Billings Head Start, Inc. Kathy has represented HD 47 for three sessions and is currently running for her fourth term in the House. Kathy and her husband Paul have been married for fifty-four years. They have four grown children and seven grandchildren.
Jessica Karjala - HD48
Jessica is a previously endorsed incumbent in Billings, and has served on education, human services, and state administration committees in the Montana House. She beat a Republican incumbent in 2014 and has served in the Legislature since.
Rae Peppers - Senate District 21 (Lame Deer area)
I currently work for Lame Deer Public Schools as the Federal Programs Director, writing and managing grants from the state of Montana and at the federal level while researching and finding other funding for the school. I graduated from MSU-Billings with a B.S. in Business Administration and a Masters in Business Communications and Information Systems. Before running for the Legislature, I worked for the Crow Tribe for 10 years as the contracting officer, where I managed construction projects, maintained 638 contracts, and oversaw the grants management of all Tribal departments. I spent another 10 years working for Chief Dull Knife College in Lame Deer, teaching business and computer courses while running the Tribal Business Information Center for small businesses. I have sat on various committees and boards, including the Northern Cheyenne Area Chamber of Commerce, Four Times Foundation (providing business grants to Native American businesses and startups), and at Head Start and parent committees when my children and grandchildren were in public school. I’ve always been an advocate in my communities, and I’m not afraid to put up a fight. As a legislator, I served four terms in the Montana House (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019). During this time I ran and passed several veterans’ bills (including a scholarship fund for Combat Medal recipients and a veterans’ hunting bill), and of course the Missing/Murdered Indigenous bills for the state of Montana, including Hanna’s Act. I still actively participate in and support MMIP issues. Finally, I am just an old farm woman that helps my husband raise draft horses and black Angus while running a haying operation. This session it is my intent to run legislation to support our agriculture people, and to support job creation and women’s rights, as always.
Betsy Scanlin - House District 58 (Red Lodge)
I have been both the mayor of Red Lodge and a city council member. I am currently a member of the Carbon County Planning Board and the Carbon County Historical Society Board, and served on the Montana Board of Housing for eight years.
I attribute my commitment to community service to my late parents, Rev. Donald Scanlin, a minister, and Millicent Preissel Scanlin, a public school teacher, who participated in over 50 years of the Red Lodge Festival of Nations. My father was an elected delegate to the 1972 Montana Constitutional Convention.
I served many area folks with water rights claims, estate planning and probates over the course of 40 years, and I appreciate their reliance and trust in me.
As a former mayor, I understand government budgets. It’s just a matter of priorities, identifying our needs, and honoring the obligation to be fair. My husband of 46 years, Jeff Anderson, and I have two adult children. Among my volunteer and other activities, I enjoyed playing in the local Veseli Tamburitza (Slavic) Orchestra for 34 years.
Kris Spanjian - House District 40 (north of Billings)
I'm a retired physician who practiced for over 30 years, caring for critically ill patients and their families with dedication, compassion and honesty. I know the importance of our rural clinics, critical access hospitals and first responders in this vast state. As a fisherman and a hunter, I also understand the importance of clean water, wild spaces, access to public lands and how these affect our physical and mental well-being. As a former medical educator, I value quality public education. And as a rancher's wife, I appreciate the economic challenges confronting agricultural communities.
Qualifications:
Intensive Care Unit physician, retired – St. Vincent Healthcare
Montana Board of Medical Examiners – our state medical licensing board, member and past president, 2006 – 2017
Faculty – University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, University of Washington School of Medicine, Montana Family Medicine Residency
Owner, Blue Grama Ranch
Fly-fishing instructor/aide – Casting for Recovery (program for breast cancer survivors), Trout Unlimited Youth Camp
Valerie McMurtry - Public Service Commission District 2
Throughout the years, I have worked to elect men and women who will put the needs of working Montanans before the shareholder profits of corporations. I have never aspired to be a politician, but when I saw the failure of the current Public Service Commissioners to protect Montana ratepayers from unfair and unnecessary rate increases, I was moved to act. Honesty, service and integrity have been the hallmarks of my life. I will stand up for what is right and fair. I believe citizens have a responsibility to make a difference for others, if it is within their power to do so. It is time to put the “public” back into the Public Service Commission.