HELENA — Incumbent Republican Greg Gianforte, Democrat Ryan Busse and Libertarian Kaiser Leib will appear on the ballot for Montana’s Governor this year. MTN caught up with Busse in Kalispell to discuss where he stands on certain key issues and why he is running for governor.
Busse is a former firearms executive, author and activist. A political newcomer, Busse has sharply criticized the Gianforte administration and is running on the campaign messaging of “Get you Montana Back.” He believes the tax burden has been shifted unfairly on the working class. His running mate is lawyer Raph Graybill.
Watch MTN's full 30-minute interview with Ryan Busse
“It means a place where we have fair taxation, where a governor doesn’t raise taxes on homeowners and give great big corporations a tax break. A Montana where our schools are funded– we have the 51st-worst teacher pay in the country, Puerto Rico beat us,” Busse told MTN.
Busse grew up on a cattle ranch and winter wheat farm in Northwestern Kansas, graduating in a class of just 16 students. He then headed off to Bethany College where he was the pitcher for the Fighting Swedes. In 1995 he moved to Montana and convinced fledgling firearms company Kimber to start a sales and marketing office in Kalispell. He met his wife Sara at the wedding of mutual friends and the couple raised their two boys in Montana. Busse later wrote a book criticizing what he calls the “radicalization of the gun industry” and served on the boards of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and Montana Conservation Voters. His sons are plaintiffs in the landmark Held v. Montana climate case.
Ryan Busse’s entrance into running for public office came from a dinner table conversation.
“That night, everybody was griping about what was going on in the U.S. and in Montana so I said ‘Well, what are you going to do about it?’” Sara Busse recalled. “And our boys looked at each other and said ‘Well, we’re suing the state of Montana for a clean and healthful environment. What are you doing, Mom?’ And I said ‘Well, I’ve been standing up for schools and libraries and I think I’ll continue to do that’ and so we turned our attention to [Ryan] and he took a big pause and he said, ‘I don’t know maybe I should run for Governor.’ And that was the beginning of it.”
A top issue on the minds of many Montana voters is property taxes and affordable housing. Busse has campaigned on a promise of lowering property taxes and ensuring everyone is paying a “fair share.” He’s also alleged Gianforte has gone against what previous governors did to curb those costs to homeowners.
“So four governors did that – Martz and Racicot, Bullock and Schweitzer – Gianforte does exactly the opposite,” said Busse. “Not only has he allowed the property taxes to be jacked up, he puts it in his budget and then he tells the legislature to pass his budget with the increased taxation in it. The state didn’t need that money, we had a $2.5 billion surplus.”
Gianforte has pushed back against the allegation claiming it is untrue and said Busse’s plan would defund school districts. Busse points to a November 17, 2022 memo from the Department of Revenue to the Revenue Interim Committee that says the rate would need to be lowered to keep the property tax bills neutral for residents.
Montana homeowners saw on average around a 21% increase in their property taxes last year. Busse warns that the increase could end up pricing people out of their homes.
“Folks on fixed incomes who have their homes paid off for 10 or 15 years, they work their whole lives to do it, and all the sudden they get a $3,000 tax increase, they can’t afford that,” Busse said. “We are forcing people out of their homes. It didn’t have to happen.”
Learn more about the other candidates in Montana's 2024 Governor Race
- MTN Governor Candidate Profile Greg Gianforte, Republican
- MTN Governor Candidate Profile Kaiser Leib, Libertarian
Busse is an avid hunter and outdoorsman. He spent 25 years selling guns for the firearms company Kimber. After he left the company, he wrote a memoir about his time in the industry called “Gunfight” which documents what he calls the “radicalization of the gun industry.” That book has drawn criticism from firearm lobbying groups including the NRA.
“I’m a gun owner, I’ve sold 3 million guns. I’m proud of owning guns and I’m proud of the right of self-defense and I will continue to uphold that. And I think as gun owners we also have to be responsible,” Busse said. “So basic things like background checks. Make sure that irresponsible people don’t have guns, it’s important to all of us. Republican moms don’t like dropping their kids off at school and worrying about their kids and Democrat moms don’t like it either, we all fear it.”
This fall Montanans will be voting on access to abortion through CI-128, which would enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution. Busse said he will be voting yes on the ballot initiative and would be a governor that would always protect a woman’s access to abortion, even should CI-128 fail.
“I’m going veto every single irresponsible anti-abortion bill and bills that attack women’s rights to privacy,” said Busse.
Busse says his first priority as governor will be addressing property taxes if elected.
“So we’re going to make sure we roll back these property taxes to the rates that don’t involve this egregious jacking up of everyone’s taxes, that’s the first thing we’re going to do. Then we’re going to go to work on public education and public lands,” said Busse.
The general election is Tuesday, November 5. More information about voting locations and voter status can be found on the Secretary of State's website.
