Two vie for Montana Senate District 14: Dave Brewer

Democrat Dave Brewer is challenging Republican Incumbent Russ Tempel in his bid to retain his position as a Montana Senator representing District 14.

Brewer said he's unhappy with Tempel's voting record, saying he votes with his party, not necessarily the people of Montana.

He said he feels Tempel is a perfectly honorable individual, but he doesn't feel he represents everyone, especially not people living on the reservations.

He said he's not afraid to break with the party when their opposition supports sensible legislation and he feels he'll support the voters better.

"I'll vote with the people, the people I'm representing," he said, "Not the Republican party, not the Democratic party, everybody."

Brewer said he hasn't asked for any money for his campaign and that reflects how he will perform as a legislator.

Of the many subjects on the docket for the upcoming session, the state's current budget surplus is likely to be one of the first things discussed, and Brewer said he understands why some people want the money returned to taxpayers, given the economic conditions many face at the moment.

However, he said, there are things at the state level that the money could go toward that would benefit everyone, so he's hoping for some compromise from both sides.

Another issue that seems to be high on the priority list is abortion rights, which Brewer said he supports.

The Montana Supreme Court has long held that the right to an abortion is covered under the state constiution's privacy protections, and Brewer said he feels very strongly that it should stay that way.

"I don't believe men should ever be telling women what they can and cannot do with their own bodies," he said.

Another health care related issue that has gained prominence on the state and national stage is that of access to gender-affirming care for transgender people, with Republicans in state legislatures around the U.S. passing restrictions on certain health care procedures and public services for trans people.

Brewer said he knows some people who "see themselves as being something else," but they have the responsibility to take care of their health care needs themselves and he doesn't think the state should be helping them.

"I disagree that they should be given a free pass, with the state and the other citizens of the state paying to change what God gave them," he said.

On the subject of health, he also talked about the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which he said wasn't as strong as it could have been, especially in the beginning.

He said he felt then-governor Steve Bullock's handling of the pandemic wasn't perfect, but it was a lot better than Gov. Greg Gianforte who seems more concerned with photo-ops than anything else.

Brewer said he thinks public health should have been given a greater leadership role in the pandemic and since Republicans took over the state government they have damaged relations between themselves and public health immensely.

The Republican lead legislature passed bills that curtailed the powers of public health during the pandemic, which has caused a great deal of tension between the state and public health.

He also criticized Republicans for trying to pass restrictive voting laws which they claim are for the purpose of ensuring election security, something Brewer said the state already has.

Brewer said he thinks the courts made the right call in striking down a trio of election laws passed in the last session, laws that would have ended same-day registration, imposed new identification requirements on students and restricted third-party ballot collection.

He said the behavior of the party in passing these laws is evidence that they do not represent the interests of Montanans, only themselves.

He also talked about recent efforts by Republicans to change how Montana Supreme Court justices are elected, with many advocating that they should be elected by district instead of having everyone in the state vote for them, something Brewer said he vehemently opposes.

"This is a democracy," he said.

Brewer also talked about energy and environmental policy, saying the state is increasingly moving away from traditional energy sources, toward more renewable and sustainable ones and that change should be embraced.

He said people have concerns about things like electric cars, but technology is advancing quickly and the state should be helping it along given the dire consequences of climate change, which expressed great concern about.

"I can tell you right now, if we don't make some changes, this planet is not going to last," he said.

Brewer also talked briefly about recreation and hunting in the state, saying state residents seem to be getting the short end of the stick compared to wealthy out-of-state visitors, something he said Republican policy is largely responsible for.

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Age: 68

Secondary Education: C.M. Russell High School

College Education: Associate and Bachelor's Degree in Business

Military Service: 6 years in U.S. Army, 23 years in U.S. Airforce

Previous Political Office: None