The state, however, is in the midst of a competitive Senate race between incumbent Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Republican candidate Tim Sheehy. Tester has held the seat since 2006 and is former Navy SEAL and businessman Sheehy’s first foray into politics. The tester emphasized on problems such as Indian Country, affordable housing, infrastructure and LGBT rights. Sheehy listed problems such as the economy and energy, gun rights, fiscal responsibility and education.

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The Washington Examiner tracks the key issues people care about as they prepare to vote in elecACTIONS. The specific issues pursued are social security, crime, abortion, the economy and immigration.

The problems were chosen with help Associated Press problem tracker. The Washington Examiner It then compared five of the key issues from Google Trends on a state-by-state basis, revealing which issues are most important to voters in swing state contests.

Here, you can track the importance of these various concerns to Montana voters over a 30-day period.

social security

Social Security was rated #1 in Montana – a state where more than 1 in 5 residents is based on social security benefits. The Montana Alliance for American Retirees has APPROVED Sen. Jon Tester is up for re-election, and the group’s president, Jay Reardon, said, “Tester has spent his career fighting to protect Medicare and Social Security, and he will always protect the hard-earned benefits that provide a secure retirement for Montana seniors.” .

In Montana, 29 percent of registered voters are 65 or older, and MARA has funded radio ads spotlighting Tim Sheehy, Tester’s opponent in the Senate race, and his plans to privatize Medicare, effectively ending the guaranteed health benefits that the mountaineers paid for. for.

Crime

Murder was the second issue for Montana voters. In 2022, violent crime rates were 10% higher than the national average and more violent crimes grew up in 2023, with an increase in aggravated assault and robbery driving the shift. However, cases of murder and rape fell last year, as well as all forms property crimes. the current crime rate in the state it is 418 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants.

The Big Sky State, too broken on drug crimes by doubling fentanyl seizures in just one year. In 2023, the state stopped 398,522 doses of fentanyl, compared to 188,823 in 2022. There was also a decrease in opioids and heroin. drug crimes and methamphetamine cases. In hopes of combating drug trafficking, Senator Jon Tester insured $1.4 million for law enforcement in May 2024.

In 2021, Montana recorded a record high of 4,773 incidents of domestic violence. The rate has declined but remained steady over the past two years at about 4,410 cases. Firearms were the main cause of death or injury to victims of domestic violence, and Montana does not require a permit to purchase any rifle, shotgun, or handgun.

Gun violence is on the rise in Montana, and in 2022, the state had sixth-highest gun death rate in the nation, increasing 43% from 2013 to 2022. In an average year, Montana has 237 gun-related deaths, or one death every 37 hours.

Abortion

The third-ranked issue for Montana voters is abortion. In 1999The state Supreme Court ruled that abortion was protected under the right to privacy, but in 2023, lawmakers tried to change the law to make the right to privacy exclude abortion care. The Montana Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that the Montana Constitution PROTECTS “procreative autonomy”, the maintenance of legal proceedings to the point of fetal viability.

However, many health care providers will refuse to perform abortions earlier in pregnancy. For patients under 16, it is necessary that a parent or guardian is informed of the procedure, but judicial bypass is also an option. The state provides public funding for abortion care, and obstructing a clinic to prevent access is prohibited.

In 2022, voters rejected a referendum that would have criminalized medical professionals and stigmatized abortion, but this year, there’s a new amendment on the ballot. Constitutional Amendment 128 would protect the right to abortion before fetal viability by prohibiting the government from obstructing or denying the procedures.

Economy

Concerns about the economy ranked fourth for Montanans, and their unemployment rate was below the national average as of 2020. It currently stands at 3 percent, ranking the state 16th in the nation, conformable to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Montana produced $68.04 billion in goods and services in November 2023 and saw a 1.8% increase in its GDP rate, totaling a 4.2% growth rate. The real estate industry saw limited growth in 2023, but was still the largest earner in the state, accounting for $9.88 billion in real GDP. Manufacturing rose 13%, education services rose 9%, and mining, oil and gas extraction rose 7.5%. The construction industry also saw increases as real estate rose.

Senator Tester made the economy and job growth a point of sale in his re-election campaign, as well Sheehybut Sheehy approaches economic concerns with a more national vision of independent energy, compared to Tester’s, which focuses more on improvements for small businesses in the state.

Immigration

Immigration ranked last for Montana voters, and the state has been dependent on immigrants for recent booms that cities like Bozeman have experienced.

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Immigrants make up about 2.4% of the state’s population and 2.4% of the workforce, conformable TO American Immigration Council. About 96% of Montana’s immigrants report being proficient in English, as most of the state’s immigrants are from Canada. In 2022, immigrants had a total spending power of $828.6 million and paid $244.5 million in taxes.

About 62.4% of Montana immigrants are naturalized, but many remain undocumented as immigrants from Honduras and other Central American countries fled to Montana to take construction jobs amid the real estate boom.