Ming Cabrera stumps in Havre for Congress

Ming Cabrera, a Democratic candidate for the eastern district of Montana seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, stumped in Havre Sunday evening, talking about his position on a number of issues and why he believes he's the best candidate for the job that now has nine people running for it.

Cabrera, a retired pharmaceutical representative and prominent Billings Democrat, said he will be a representative of Montana's middle class in Washington, an advocate for access to public lands and public education, and for the freedom of women to make their own choices about their reproductive health care.

He said Democrats have had major victories on the economic front for people for the average person, and they need to do a better job of pointing out that they are responsible for how good people's wages are.

He said Republicans are taking credit for new jobs and economic growth that are largely the result of liberal policies and victories in Washington, and they need to start telling people that.

Cabrera voiced his support for the Keystone XL Pipeline which he said would bring jobs to the state.

He said he also wants to support a Farm Bill that will work for agriculture producers and their communities, especially in eastern Montana, which he knows very well.

He said Republicans like former President Donald Trump may give subsidies to producers to try to keep them as political allies, but will undercut them with exorbitant tariffs the moment they have the opportunity, while Democrats actually care.

Cabrera said Democrats are leading the charge on establishing country of origin labeling and increasing transparency in the meatpacking industry, which is vital for producers to get a fair shake in the market.

Beyond the agriculture community, he said, Democrats are also working to improve high-speed internet access to rural areas, as well.

As for his priority issues in Congress, he said, public education is one of the biggest issues for him.

"Public education is the great equalizer," he said.

Cabrera said Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen is a potential opponent in the general election and her time overseeing that office has been a mess.

He said she primarily represents the interests of the rich and would not be right for Montana.

He said education is a big part of why he became successful and it needs to be supported instead of setting up charter schools that would operate without proper standards or oversight.

He also talked about access to public land, which he said Republicans are increasingly willing to sell off or close access to, which he thinks is a huge detriment to the state.

"Keep public lands in public hands," he said.

Cabrera also talked about women's health care, and the increasingly aggressive stance of Republicans who seek to ban procedures like abortion, sometimes regardless of circumstances.

As someone with a background in medicine and as a devout Catholic, he said, the view many conservative politicians express about when life begins is based neither in science nor Christian scripture, and is far more complicated than they admit.

He said he has his own feelings on abortion, but he's not in a position to judge people making decisions about their own bodies. Nor, he said, is he in the position to judge people for who they want to marry.

While women's health care was a big issue for him, he said, there are plenty of problems in the health care industry in general that need to be addressed, including Medicare.

He said Medicare should be able to negotiate prices on medicine just like private insurance, and should be reimbursed more for treatment of conditions like chronic bronchitis.

Cabrera said his primary opponent, Kevin Hamm, is a good man and he won't speak ill of him, but he does consider himself to be the better candidate.

He said he has a proven track record of working across the aisle to secure economic victories for Billings and he knows the issues better.

He said he's confident that he will win the primary and that the bigger fight will be the general election, which is when he will need serious support.

He claimed that there are no voters that are 100 percent behind Trump and his movement, but most of the Republicans running are devout followers, and their extreme positions are creating an opening Democrats need to take this seat.