AARP Montana Releases Radio Voter Guide with Voices of Montana: Q & A with the Candidates for Montana’s U.S. Senate Race

Find out where the candidates stand on issues important to you

Scroll down to hear Part 1 & Part 2 of the Radio Voter Guides 🠋

AARP Montana is committed to helping you get the facts you need to choose candidates who reflect your values. We are non-partisan -- we don’t support or oppose political candidates or contribute money to campaigns or political action committees.

We focus on the issues that are most important to Montanans 50-plus. Our priority is ensuring you know where the candidates stand before you cast your vote. We know from polls, surveys and community engagement exactly what those issues are.

That’s why AARP Montana is providing this voter guide to help Montanans learn as much about the candidates and their positions on the issues.

We posed four questions to Montana’s U.S. Senate candidates and asked them to record their responses to each question. The Democrat candidate is Senator Jon Tester and the Republican candidate is Tim Sheehy.

Collaboration with Northern Broadcasting to air the Montana Voter Guide Statewide
AARP Montana collaborated with broadcasting powerhouse, Northern Broadcasting, to bring you the Senate Voter Guide. Northern Broadcasting aired the voter guides on October 7 and 8 on the statewide Voices of Montana radio program. With a reach of over 200,000 -- Montanans in all corners across the state received information to help them make an informed decision as they cast their ballots for their choice in the state’s U.S. Senate race.

“Candidates in Montana should pay attention to the concerns of the state’s most active voting group: 50-plus voters,” said Tim Summers, AARP Montana State Director. “History shows 50-plus voters turn out in force and AARP wants to make sure issues that are important to this demographic are front and center – issues like the rising cost of prescription drugs, protecting Social Security and Medicare, and how the candidates are planning to help caregivers in Montana.”

The four questions we posed to candidates are as follows:

• Why are you running for this office?
• Research shows that 112,000 Montana family caregivers provide $1.76 billion in unpaid care a year, helping older loved ones live independently. How would you support family caregivers, many of whom are juggling work and family?
• The Social Security Trust Fund is expected to see a shortfall in approximately 10 years. If Congress doesn’t act, millions of Americans who are counting on Social Security may see cuts to the money they’ve earned. More than one in five Montana residents— 244,937 people— receive Social Security. These payments inject more than $4 billion into the state’s economy every year. How would you protect Social Security benefits for the future?
• Americans pay some of the highest prescription drug prices in the world. How will you lower prescription drug prices for all Americans?

Click on our AARP Montana Voter Guides below to find out where the candidates for U.S. Senate stand on issues that are important to Montanans 50-plus.

Transcript of AARP Montana Radio Voter Guide Part 1:

00:00:05 Tom Schultz

What I like is a little voter guidance every now and again. This week. We're gonna not one but two – two voter guides, Senate candidate Tim Sheehy and Senator Jon Tester. They've recorded responses to specific questions and AARP Montana kicks it off this week with a number of questions. Number one would be like, why are you running? This is our voter guide from AARP Montana. We'll launch into this today.

We have got elections, we've got decisions to make here and AARP Montana -- I appreciate the partnership with them -- the candidates have recorded responses and I like that they like it, they can do it on their own time. It's not necessarily a debate, but we do ask specific questions. We've been doing this a number of years. We kick it off with AARP Montana first.

Just to talk about our candidates a little, U.S. Senator Jon tester, third generation Montana Farmer reading this off his website, a grandfather, former school teacher and chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense also served on the Banking Committee. Still farms a tract near Big Sandy Montana -- that's where his grandparents homesteaded. And then for Tim Sheehy, graduate of the naval class of 2008. He off his website here, a father, a husband combat veteran, a patriot and an entrepreneur. He completed several deployments and hundreds of missions as a Navy SEAL officer, including deploying to Iraq, Afghanistan, South America and the Pacific region and in 2014 founded Bridger Aerospace in his barn with all his savings and an all veteran team and that has grown into a very successful business. That's some of the background for these Senate candidates. We'll talk more as we continue this series this week.

But first off and to, our elected official, Senator Jon Tester, the AARP Montana voter guide question number one is Senator Tester, why are you running for office? 

00:01:58 Jon Tester – Why are you running for office?

The Montana we know and love is changing. Everything is getting more expensive as out-of-state multimillionaires move here and buy up second and third houses to turn Montana into their personal playground.

With so much changing, Montanans have to have somebody in the Senate who's willing to fight for our Montana way of life.

I still farm the land just outside Big Sandy Montana that my grandparents homesteaded more than 100 years ago. I see the changes that are going on in Montana every day. Montana needs somebody back in Washington, DC who understands rural America. Someone who fights for our freedoms and goes to bat for our veterans, our family farms and ranches, our working families, our teachers, our Main Street businesses, and our Montana Seniors.

Someone who will always protect Social Security and Medicare, I am proud to be endorsed by groups like the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, the Montana Alliance for retired Americans and Social Security works.

I'm running to keep up the fight to ensure Montana seniors can enjoy their retirement years with dignity and independence, and to make sure our kids and grandkids can grow up in the same Montana we know and love.

Montana is the greatest state in the greatest country in the world, and I'll always defend it.

00:03:19 Tom Schultz

That's three term Senator Jon Tester from the state of Montana. Now his challenger this year is Tim Sheehy. As I mentioned, I gave a bit of his bio earlier and we'll roll right into this. The AARP Montana voter guide. The question is, Mr. Sheehy, why are you running for office? 

00:03:36 Tim Sheehy – Why are you running for office?

I never considered entering politics until Joe Biden and Kamala Harris's disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. Washing away the sacrifices made by our family and our closest friends.

As a father to four young children, this failure marked an inflection point. As a former Navy SEAL who served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere, my wife served as a marine, the decision to run for U.S. Senate was tough, but when your country calls, you must answer. I'm in this race because we need a new generation of conservative leaders who will work with President Trump to put America first.

We need new leaders to save our country from the career politicians who run for office after office, go to DC to get rich and lecture us about fighting for you. While our problems only get worse.

After 18 years in Washington, Jon Tester has failed to secure the border, failed to deliver veterans a functioning VA, failed to stand up to adversaries like China, failed to fight back against the liberals' job killing energy agenda, failed to balance the budget and votes for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris agenda every single time it matters.

Montana is Ground Zero this election to take back the U.S. Senate. And we need to seize this opportunity and win this seat.

The very fate of the country and our children's future depends on it. Our country is asking all of us to do our part. I'm running for the U.S. Senate because when you feel called to serve, you step up and serve. We have an opportunity this November to secure our children's future and save America by defeating Jon Tester and Kamala Harris. Let's take it. 

00:05:02 Tom Schultz

Tim Sheehy once again, Senate candidate challenging Jon Tester here in the state of Montana for that Senate seat, which as he noted, very important nationally or a lot of national implications here. So we are going now to question number two of our AARP Montana Voter Guide and we'll have the challenger, Tim Sheehy, go first. And the question is research shows that 112,000 Montana family caregivers provide 1.76 billion in unpaid care a year. I think a lot of us can see ourselves in that helping older loved ones live independently. If you're elected, how would you support family caregivers, many of whom are juggling work and family? Tim Sheehy.

00:05:39 Tim Sheehy – How would you support family caregivers?

There's nothing more important than family, and often family members are the ones you turn to for help, whether it's help on the farm or ranch or helping our older loved ones. Especially in rural Montana, family is everything. We've got to ensure family caregivers have an economic environment that is friendly and makes life easier -- to not only work to provide for immediate family, but also to provide care for our elder loved ones. And where we can, we've got to find common sense ways to get the government out of the way to allow more family caregivers to fulfill their mission and increase access to care for more Montana seniors.

Often family caregivers serve at their own cost, struggling to juggle family and work. Nobody should have to be forced to choose between taking care of their family and making ends meet. That's why we must ensure caregivers have the financial resources they need. We should also look at tax incentives for family members that are providing much-needed care to their older loved ones.

We've got to defeat inflation, lower the cost of care and bring down the rising costs that are eating away at the budgets of every Montana family. That means working to end the out-of-control spending and the disastrous economic policies that are crushing Montana families.

We want all Montanans to age with dignity or remain in their communities with their families.

That's why we must ensure seniors have access to affordable long term care options that work best for them and their families. As Senator, I will always fight for all Montana families and put Montana first.

00:06:59 Tom Schultz

That's Tim Sheehy, Senate candidate in this question regarding family caregivers on the AARP Montana Voter Guide. Now we have Senator Jon Tester, research shows Senator Tester that 112,000 Montana family caregivers provide 176 or, pardon me, 1.76 billion in unpaid care a year, helping older loved ones live independently if elected, how would you support family caregivers, caregivers, many of whom are juggling work and family?

00:07:26 Jon Tester - How would you support family caregivers?

Every Montana senior deserves the opportunity to live and retire in the communities that they love. Whether that means having access to a skilled nursing facility or receiving caregiving support from a family member in their own home, Montana seniors have the right to retire with dignity.

Family caregivers are a critical part of that and play an important role in our communities, and I will always support them. As chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, I am specifically working hard to expand caregiver benefits for the families of Montana's veterans. With your help, we will pass my bipartisan Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act, which provides veterans the flexibility to be cared for by their loved ones or providers of their choosing from the comfort of their own homes.

In Montana, where veterans often have to travel long distances for healthcare, making sure aging and disabled veterans have options to remain closer to home with caretaking help from a family member is absolutely critical.

This bill will help ensure veterans and caretakers have the resources they need to live comfortably. Family caregivers play a critical role in helping our seniors live and retire happily, and I'll always fight to ensure they get the support they need.

00:08:38 Tom Schultz

Senator John Tester, again in response to a question from the AARP Montana voter guide about family caregivers, also heard from Tim Sheehy.


Transcript of AARP Montana Radio Voter Guide Part 2:

00:00:08 Tom Schultz

Two decades strong and working on three it is from Montana for Montana Voices of Montana and we're going to talk more about how these voices of Montana may govern in the U.S. Senate we're talking about Senator Jon Tester and his Senate challenger Tim Sheehy. Of course, I don't think it's news to anybody how important this election is and elections are always very vital but we have, we have some serious I think conditions facing our country that we need to have really good policy discussions about and we really we really get informed on as well kind of cut through whatever is misinformation need to cut through some of the woke stuff out there need to just get to the black and white about some of these challenges we're going to continue on with our series here as I mentioned AARP Montana has done this for a number of years -- voter guides. Yesterday we talked about why the candidates were running for office both Jon Tester and Tim Sheehy with good responses there family caregiving what can the government do to help those family caregivers some good answers there as well today we're going to talk about Social Security and prescription drugs.

And so we're going to go with question number three and we'll start with Montana Senator Jon Tester he's a third generation Montana farmer and again I took bio information off his website Jon and his wife Sharla still farm the same land near the town of Big Sandy it was homestead by Jon's grandparents in 1912 he earned a degree in music from the College of Great Falls took over the Tester farm in '78 and also taught Elementary music there at the Big Sandy School entered politics in the state legislature in 1998 and then now is currently serving his third term in the U.S. Senate. So Jon Tester -- and we'll also have a little more here on Tim Sheehy to come -- but let's go with the Senator first and the question today for the AARP Montana Voter Guide is the Social Security trust fund is expected to see a shortfall in approximately 10 years if Congress doesn't act, millions of Americans who are counting on Social Security may see cuts to the money they've earned more than 1 in 5 Montana residents, that's 24,000 almost 245,000 people, receive Social Security in the state these payments inject more than 4 billion into the state's economy every year. If elected Senator Tester how would you protect Social Security benefits for the future? 

02:24:79 Jon Tester – How would you protect Social Security benefits for the future?

I will never cut Social Security or Medicare full stop. I'm fighting every day to make sure we uphold our promises we made to previous generation and that means fighting tooth and nail to protect Social Security. For many older Montana Social Security is the only source of retirement income and Medicare is their only way to access affordable life-saving health care. These are essential benefits that Montanans have spent their entire lives paying into and I'll always fight to ensure these benefits are protected. Not just for today's seniors but for all of Montana's future generations. There are some politicians who want to end Social Security or cut those benefits. I oppose any plan to do so I will also stand tough against any plan to privatize Medicare because our seniors have paid into that their whole lives and they should be able to rely on it. I'll keep working to ensure older Montanans can live and retire with dignity in the communities they love and that means always fighting for Social Security and Medicare. 

03:21:11 Tom Schultz

That's Senator Jon Tester. We move now to Tim Sheehy the Senate challenger a graduate of the Naval Academy class of 2008 he was the first midshipman to participate in the U.S. Army Special Operations Exchange Program and the first to graduate from the elite U.S. Army Ranger School. Tim met his wife Carmen who served as a U.S. Marine Corps officer at the U.S. Naval Academy and later on the two moved to Montana they've got four kids in 2014 Tim Sheehy founded Bridger Aerospace bootstrapping that in his barn with his savings and an all veteran team and led the growth of Bridger Aerospace. He has also done hundreds of firefighting missions across the American West as well, protecting our communities from the devastation as a pilot of a water bomber. That again from Tim Sheehy's website and we asked the question here again we'll have another one upcoming as well but the Social Security trust fund expected to see a shortfall in approximately 10 years if Congress doesn't act, millions of Americans who are counting on Social Security may see cuts to the money they've earned more than 1 in 5 Montana residents again 245,000 people receive Social Security. Those payments inject more than 4 billion into the state's economy every year. If elected, challenger Tim Sheehy how would you protect Social Security benefits in the future? 

04:43:79 Tim Sheehy – How would you protect Social Security benefits for the future?

Let me be clear I will always protect Montanans' Social Security benefits and will ensure the politicians back in Washington don't touch Social Security or Medicare. Our nation made a promise to our seniors to protect their Social Security and Medicare benefits and I will honor that promise and preserve the benefits they've earned, full stop. The truth is America is 35 trillion in debt and Jon Tester has done nothing about it. In fact, he's voted to raise the debt ceiling 14 times. Let's be honest the federal government has a spending problem not a revenue problem. If we're going to defeat inflation and hand our kids a solvent nation, Congress must end its out- of-control spending that's driven the cost sky high. We must balance the budget and begin to lower our national debt. The quickest way to balance the budget is to ensure that politicians who fail to pass a balanced budget don't get paid. No balanced budget, no paycheck. It's that easy. I firmly believe we must keep our commitment to every Montana senior to protect their Social Security and Medicare benefits. Our nation made a promise to our seniors and I will fight every day to honor that promise and preserve the benefits they've earned. Moreover we shouldn't be raiding these accounts to pay for reckless spending. As your U.S. Senator I will always fight to protect Social Security and Medicare for Montana seniors. 

05:50:08 Tom Schultz

Cost of prescription drugs another big issue when you're talking about policies that direct funding or other kinds of resource it doesn't always have to be funding, but other kind of resources, to help in this area. Welcome back here it's from Montana for Montana Voices of Montana that's the next question up on our AARP Voter Guide. Let's go with the challenger Tim Sheehy first in question number four here and again go to aarp.org and search for Montana it'll just be backslash Montana, and you'll be able to replay these responses. We'll also have them up on a podcast here on Voices of Montana later on today.

Americans pay some of the highest prescription drug prices in the world, if elected Tim Sheehy how will you lower prescription drug prices for all Americans? 

06:38:63  Tim Sheehy – How would you lower prescription drug prices for all Americans?

Costs of healthcare and prescription drug prices are too high and costs have only skyrocketed the last two decades while Jon Tester, the number one recipient of money from Big Pharma, has been in office. We absolutely need to do more to lower prescription drug prices for all Montanans, including our seniors. It's despicable watching these massive pharmaceutical corporations drive up prices to line their pockets at the expense of Montanans who shouldn't have to choose between gas in their car or life-saving medicine. This corrupt system is hurting Montanans and there needs to be accountability. Montana seniors need relief yesterday as they are being crushed by inflation from this disastrous Biden Harris Tester economy. Kamala Harris and John Tester's policies are driving up the cost of everything including gas, groceries, housing, health care and prescription drugs. And no one is more impacted by this than folks on a fixed income. Truth is Jon Tester and the entire Democrat Party broke our healthcare system. If we're all being honest we need to do meaningful reforms to American healthcare. We should be focused on protecting Montanans with pre-existing conditions, lowering premiums for Montanans to protecting rural hospitals and rural access to healthcare. That's why I'm fighting to make Montana affordable again by defeating inflation, increasing access to affordable generic drugs and supporting common sense solutions like greater price transparency, competition and shopping for services in our healthcare system. And we should be rewarding outcomes and innovation to help drive down costs. We need new leaders to fix our broken healthcare system and save our country. It's time to make a change in November. 

08:06:20  Tom Schultz

Tim Sheehy running for U.S. Senate seat here in Montana. Jon Tester is the current Senator from the great state of Montana and also answered this question, as the AARP Voter Guide for Montana continues. Americans pay some of the highest prescription drug prices in the world Senator Tester, if elected how will you lower prescription drug prices for all Americans? 

08:27:10 Jon Tester – How would you lower prescription drug prices for all Americans?

Big Pharma has been taking advantage of Montanans for far too long. Corporate price gouging has caused prescription drug prices to skyrocket and enough is enough. That's why I stood up for Montanans and took on Big Pharma. With your help and support, we were able to cap insulin prices for Montana's seniors at $35 a month. And we finally allow Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drugs on behalf of Montana's seniors. That means hundreds and thousands of dollars back in the pocket of Montana seniors each and every year. And additional savings passed on to the rest of Montanans. But our work doesn't end there. I led the fight to hold Pharmacy Benefit Managers accountable and successfully passed legislation banning retroactive claw back fees that raise prices on life-saving prescription drugs. Montana seniors have made Montana the greatest state and the greatest country of the world. And I'll always fight to ensure you don't have to pay an arm and a leg for life-saving medication. 

09:26:49 Tom Schultz

Senator Jon Tester thank you for that. Candidate Tim Sheehy as well. Thank you for your responses.