Our endorsements - Great Falls + Hi-Line

Jasmine Taylor - House District 22

Jasmine Taylor (she/her) is a first-generation college student who has dedicated her life to community improvement. Jasmine works for the Department of Health and Human services and is a proud union member. She is the President of the Great Falls LGBTQ+ Center, and is the first Queer candidate to run in HD 22. Jasmine is an outspoken advocate for women’s rights. She’s running against an incumbent that has voted against the LGBTQ+ community and against a woman’s right to choose. 

• Masters in Public Administration

• 8 years with DPPHS and endorsed by MFPE

• 10+ years of community organizing, volunteering, and activism

• Endorsed by Run For Something and the Future Now Foundation

Helena Lovick — House District 26

Growing up, Helena’s family sometimes struggled and had to rely on social safety nets like food stamps to get by. But thankfully that support was there. Through education and hard work, Helena was able to break the cycle of poverty. Now she is a scientist, raising her two children with her husband in Great Falls. Helena is running for office because she wants to help ensure her neighbors have the support they need to succeed.

Qualifications

• Scientist, PhD chemist

• Wife and mother

Barbara Bessette - House District 24

Barbara is currently serving as the representative for House District 24 in Great Falls. She was one of the first urban Native American women elected to the Montana House. She is running for a second term. She serves on the Children, Families, Health and Human Services interim committee. She currently works in substance abuse prevention.

Jasmine Krotkov - House District 25

Jasmine Krotkov has had a varied and service- oriented career. For over 20 years, she was
a public servant with the United States Postal Service where she worked as a carrier, Postmaster, and Postmaster trainer. She was also the Editor of the National Association of Postmasters. In that role, Jasmine lobbied Congress for issues concerning Montanans and our essential small-distribution post offices.

Jasmine’s career has revolved around standing up for regular Montanans. Jasmine thinks about how lucky we are to have such beautiful and accessible public lands, and is in the legislature to defend our right to access them. Public lands drive our economy, and she
knows that regular Montanans need that economy to work for them, not just people that buy their way through life. Most of all, Jasmine is in tune with what unites us. To use her words, “I am called to public service knowing that what brings us together is greater than what separates us.”

In the 2019 Legislative Session, Jasmine:
-Passed a law to give schools more options for funding improvements.
-Passed a law to help get city and county roads and other job-creating infrastructure built.
-Served on the Judiciary, Transportation and Local Government Committees.

Priorities: Quality, affordable health care, clean air and water, employment opportunities, public lands access 

Melissa Smith - House District 20

I’m a fourth-generation Montanan, a professional pianist, and a teacher, currently living and working in Great Falls, MT. I was raised in Havre, with my summers spent with my grandparents in the Flathead Valley. I received a first-class education here, from Kindergarten in Havre through my BA from the University of Montana. I have been involved in community organizing, running individual campaigns, and non-profits of all kinds since my University days. I have enjoyed that work immensely; however, I am now seeking a seat at the table that makes Montana laws and passes the budget, since our values are reflected by where our money gets spent. My campaign focuses on three core issues: conservation and preservation of public lands, with an emphasis on clean air, water and wildlife habitat; quality public education including pre-school education for all Montana students; and reimagining public safety, wherein we protect our communities by emphasizing public health, food security, inclusion, and diversity.

Krystal Steinmetz - House District 28 (Havre)

A fourth-generation Montanan, Krystal (Spring) Steinmetz is a community advocate and former journalist who now works for the Boys & Girls Club. As a mother of two elementary school-age children and wife of a small business owner, Krystal believes investing in quality public schools, affordable healthcare and infrastructure improvements, are vital to creating a thriving community for all Montanans.