Election 2014: House District 33: Mike Finley

Born: Dec. 20, 1948, Butte

High school graduation: Butte Central High School, 1967

College: Two years Montana Tech in Butte

Military: None

Work: Dishwasher; Anaconda Copper Company miner, mine truck driver, working in a smelter; railroad telegrapher, retired as clerk with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Co. in Havre after 33 years with the railroad

Elected office: none

Family: No wife, children

Groups and organizations: None, former lifelong union member

Mike Finley became a surprise candidate in the race for House District 33, that runs from outside of Havre through northeastern Hill County through northern Blaine, Phillips and Valley counties, even a surprise to him.

Finley faces Rep. Mike Lang, R-Malta, in this year's election.

He said he doesn't even know where the state Democratic Party got his name to consider as a candidate, but when the call came asking him to take the place of a candidate who dropped out, he thought he owed it to people to run.

He said he can serve as a legislator and would work to bring his background to Helena. Growing up in Butte, he worked for the Anaconda Copper Co. as a miner, a truck driver and in the smelter before the company laid people off, leading to his working for the railroad. That included moving to Havre as a clerk in 1989 and retiring after 33 years of railroad service all around the state.

He has been on the Hi-Line for the last 25 years, and said his father was raised in Chinook, so he has that tie to the area.

He said he is confident he can do the job if elected, but he is not going to force his candidacy down people's throats.

"You're not going to see me on TV and radio every five minutes," Finley said.

Why are you running?

The reason Finley is running is because he was asked to. He said he unexpectedly received a call from the state Democratic Party asking him to take the place of Floyd Russell Hopstad, a Glasgow Democrat, who withdrew after the primary election.

"I wanted people at least to have a choice," he said, adding he feels like he has an obligation because he never has done public service before.

Why should people vote for you?

"I'm not sure I am the best candidate ... but I bet I am the best candidate for people that have the same the background I do, working for wages," he said.

Medicaid expansion

Finley said he supports expanding Medicaid as part of his support of the health care reform that passed in 2009.

"I support it because, even though it's deeply flawed, it's the only choice for a lot of people ... The insurance industry was failing too many people. We had to do something. That's why I support it, but I still support fixing it," he said.

Thoughts on Early Edge Montana state-funded pre-kindergarten

Finley said he supports the idea of offering state-funded pre-kindergarten eductation.

"I went to kindergarten. I didn't want to go but I think it's good for a kid to start learning. It's good to be around a lot of other kids, if nothing else," he said.

He added that his mother was a Head Start teacher in Butte.

"She thought it was important, so I do too," he said.

State taking control of federal land

"I think it's a very bad idea," Finley said.

First, the state can't afford it, and he has concerns about people losing access to public land. The land has belonged to all Americans since the United States bought it from Napoleon in 1803, he said.

"I don't want to see it sold to the highest bidder," he said.

No texting while driving law

Finley said he opposes a law banning texting while driving, "although I think (texting while driving) is a stupid idea."

He said he opposes passing laws for everything - what he would like to see is stiffer penalties if texting causes a wreck.

I don't think you can take away a person's freedom on what might happen, only when it does happen," Finley said.

Same-sex marriage

Finley said he has no opposition to overturning Montana's ban on same-sex marriage.

"If people want to marry someone of their own sex, more power to you. I'm not going to stand in your way," he said