MISSOULA, Mont.—Like many other Montanans who voted in the June 7 primary for U.S. Congress District 1, Mike Starmer of Missoula said he voted for the candidate he hopes will reflect his values in Washington.
Starmer gave his vote to former Montana state Sen. Al Olszewski (R).
“I’m a Christian. I believe in the Lord’s word. My values are going to mirror those in the Bible. I’m not going to stray from it—period,” Starmer told The Epoch Times.
“Al is a conservative poltician. He has voted conservatively in both the House and Senate in the state in the past. I like his viewpoints, and I like his stance on many issues,” Starmer said.
While he doesn’t always vote along party lines, Starmer based his vote on candidate policy—not personality.
“This country is diverging. We are not coming together,” Starmer said. “I'd love to see it happen, but I don’t think it ever will. The real question is, where does that lead? I’m not sure I have an answer at this point.”
Outside Missoula’s five-precinct polling location at Hellgate Elementary School, Michael Britzius, a Republican, cast his vote for Olszewski.
He sees this congressional race as pivotal in Montana as a predominantly conservative state.
“I vote in every election. I hope [Olszewski] will do what he says he'll do, which aligns with what I think should be done—conservative ideas,” Britzius told The Epoch Times.
“He doesn’t seem to have a lot of other ties to him. I liked [Trump-endorsed former U.S. Interior Secretary Matt] Zinke, but he does have some issues, some baggage I’m not appreciative of.”
While he still believes in the electoral system, “I don’t think it works as well as it should,” he said.
“I think term limits in Congress would be important. That’s one of the things Olszewski was talking about.”
Another Republican voter, who did not want his name used, said he voted for Mary Todd (R) for U.S. House, saying Congress needs people who are “set in their ways” and don’t falter politically.
“She seemed to be kind of stern and set in her ways. If you’re going to send someone to Washington, they need to be set in their ways,” he said. “I would like to see her speak more for the people of Montana. With all fairness, I think all of them who go [to Congress] have to make choices.
“Some have to make choices they don’t like, but they do it because they think it will help move a policy into place. If you send enough new ones in there, they might not be as willing to play the game.”
“I try to look at the candidates. I would vote for a Democrat if I thought they were the better choice,” he said.
Richard Wilhelm, a Democrat, said he voted for Democrat Monica Tranel for U.S. Congress, saying he thinks she has the best chance of winning.
More importantly, he believes her moderate, centrist views and values will best serve Montana residents in Washington.
“That’s a good way to take a stance to serve Montanans. I don’t think you have to be too far left or too far right,” Wilhelm told The Epoch Times.
“I think she represents more of what I as a Montanan agree with. I hope so, I do. She’s got a good choice given that Zinke’s got a bad record at the national level [though] he’s got the most money, so he'll probably be the Republican nominee.”
“One of my biggest concerns is how the housing crisis has affected every Montanan. I don’t like that corporate money has come into the housing situation,” Wilhelm said.
As a nonpartisan voter, Robert Sullivan said, “I don’t tell anybody who I voted for. It’s between me and that booth in there. I'll tell you the ballot I voted for. I voted on the Republican ballot.”
First and foremost, Sullivan said Congress needs to “get this country back in shape.”
“To me, personally, it means [to] get us back to energy independence, [to] get us off this inflation thing—[to] Quit trying to spend to buy votes. That’s what I see going on today.”
“Foreign policy is a harder one for me. I don’t think we should get into as many disputes as we do, but we still have an obligation to protect allies,” Sullivan told The Epoch Times.
After voting at Hellgate Elementary, a registered Democrat voter said she feels it’s essential to elect a Democrat to represent Montana. She sees the state having two congressional districts as an opportunity to achieve that goal.
“I want someone who supports veterans,” she told The Epoch Times. “I’ve been watching the ads on TV. I liked the person I voted for a lot and what they stand for. I don’t want Zinke in there again. I don’t want him back.”
Nancy Harte, polling place manager at Hellgate Elementary School, said voting in Tuesday’s primary was steady throughout the day even though two-thirds of ballots in Missoula were cast by mail.
