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Havre couple run against each other in Senate race

A Havre couple has joined the race to become Montana's next U.S. senator, with the couple filing on the opposite sides of the ticket and possibly facing each other in the general election.

James Dean, 38, a U.S. Air Force veteran and financial adviser, has entered the crowded race in the primary for the Republican nomination to take on Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., in next fall's election. Sarah Dean, 30, a fashion designer who also works at 2nd Street Barista, hopes to unseat Tester in the Democratic primary June 5.

Neither have ever run for public office before.

They both filed as candidates with the Federal Election Commission Sept. 25.

Tester, a Big Sandy farmer first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006, is running for a third term next year.

State Auditor Matthew Rosendale of Glendive, Sen. Al Olszewski, R- Kalispell, and businessmen Troy Downing of Big Sky and Ron Murray of Belgrade have already entered the race for the Republican nomination.

Yellowstone District Court Judge and former state legislator Russ Fagg has set up an exploratory committee for a possible run for the Republican nomination.

Sarah Dean is the only Democrat challenging Tester at this point.

James Dean said Monday that he has studied different public policy issues during his time in the military and in the private sector.

The couple said they each have ideas that would help the country.

"Together, we have a platform that will be able to actually solve problems that other politicians say they do but actually can't deliver," James Dean said.

"It's not that we just want to run for office. No, it's more that we have a plan behind our campaign," Sarah Dean said. James Dean said too many candidates do not reach beyond their respective party bases and by running in different parties they can broaden their appeal.

Sarah Dean said their hope is for a system where people can "fight instructively, instead of destructively."

"We need the support of Elizabeth Warren, we need the support of Mitch McConnell and we need the support of Donald Trump," James Dean said.

Both candidates say a major restructuring of the nation's finance system is needed to improve the economy and avoid another crisis similar to the 2008 financial meltdown.

Though they are a married couple, James Dean said, the couple do have different stances on some issues.

If they both get their party's nomination, those differences will become more clear.

"We're both are very strong-minded individuals, both of us," James Dean said.

Sarah Dean added that she and her husband can "stand up to one another" and can hold their own."

 

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