“Multimillionaire developer Maryland Matt Rosendale has shown time and again he is out of touch with the lives of everyday people and deep in the pockets of Washington special interests. Montanans deserve true representation in Congress, not another perpetual politician who parrots party talking points. Meanwhile, Kathleen Williams has spent her life in Montana, working for Montanans and fighting for Montanans. From her bipartisan work in the state legislature to improve health care, to boosting small business or advocating for its public lands for future generations, Kathleen has built a life focused on fighting for what is best for everyday families.” -DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos
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To: Interested Parties
From: Andy Orellana, DCCC Regional Press Secretary
Date: June 3, 2020
Subject: The Case Against Matt Rosendale
In his failed bids for higher office, Matt Rosendale has shown the people of Montana time and time again that as a multimillionaire real estate developer from Maryland who is out of touch with the struggles of everyday Montanans and incapable of fighting for their best interests. He didn’t earn the nickname “Maryland Matt” by accident.
This is made even clearer by his record, including his support for gutting protections for pre-existing conditions, raising health care premiums on Montana’s families, and his anti-Montana agenda that would to put Montana’s public lands at risk of going into private hands. As Rosendale campaigned for six different offices since 2010, he has proven to Montana’s families that he’s most concerned with his career, his out-of-state corporate donors and the Washington GOP.
In stark contrast, Kathleen Williams has already proven that she isn’t beholden to Washington, or to special interests. Instead, she’ll bring the kind of independent leadership that Montanans workers, families, ranchers and seniors need and expect.
This explains why Montanans are rallying around Kathleen for Congress. Not only is it now an open seat, but as they saw in 2018, Kathleen Williams makes the race for Montana’s sole Congressional seat a dead heat for the first time in over two decades. The Chair of the Montana GOP admitted as much earlier this year saying, “The House race is going to be very competitive […] we are going to have to work to keep the seat.”
Kathleen’s intrepid campaigning has built momentum with the grassroots and scared Republicans. Montanans know Kathleen’s record and extensive experience in the public, private, and non-profit sectors prove she will always stand up and fight for Montanans. During her time in Montana’s Legislature, Kathleen worked with Montanans of all stripes bringing about bipartisan successes to improve access to quality health care, support and boost Montana’s small business and protect Montanan’s public lands and way of life.
The contrast between Matt Rosendale and Kathleen Williams could not be more clear: more of the same destructive politics of attacking health care and our treasured public lands, or a breath of fresh air and an independent voice who has shown how to put people over party and has a record of delivering results for Montanans.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Montana GOP Chair Don Kaltschmidt: “I think the House race is going to be very competitive. We are going to have to work to keep that seat.” [Flathead Beacon, 2/2/2020]
HEADLINE: ECU Poll: Williams, Rosendale Both at 45%. [National Journal, 3/19/2020]
“Thursday’s poll showed that the race for Montana’s U.S. House seat is also close […] Among independents, Bullock and Williams lead, with 50-42 for Bullock and 51-39 for Williams.” [Courthouse News, 3/19/2020]
“Democrat Kathleen Williams out-raised all candidates in the crowded 2020 field for Montana’s U.S. House seat during the first three months of this year – and bested the top Republican in the race by an almost 2-to-1 margin.” [MTN News, 4/18/2020]
HEADLINE: How Anti-Public-Lands Money Enters Montana Politics; Congressional Candidate Matt Rosendale Earns Money From Texan Billionaires While Voting For Their Interests. [Outside Magazine, 7/16/2019]
HEADLINE: Anti-Big Money Group Endorses Democrat Williams In U.S. House Race. [KPAX, 9/5/2020]
Montana Farmers Union President Walter Schweitzer said he was disappointed Rosendale wouldn’t be in attendance, “You would think that he would want to come and talk to rural and ag issues. Agriculture is our number one industry. It kind of surprises me that he would ignore us.” [KULR, 4/28/20]
Millionaire Marylander Matt Rosendale: Career Political Opportunist Who’s Completely Out Of Touch with Montanans
INSURE COMMISSIONER ROSENDALE’S RECORD – GUT PROTECTIONS, RAISE PREMIUMS, PARTY LINE PARROT
When Maryland Millionaire Matt Rosendale isn’t running for yet another office, he’s sacrificing Montana’s families by calling to repeal “every word” of the Affordable Care Act, fully supporting ending protections for those with preexisting conditions like asthma, cancer and diabetes, and even allowing insurance companies to discriminate based on gender. When Rosendale wasn’t supporting the gutting of protections for 152,000 Montanans, he was rubber-stamping health care premium increases of up to a 23% hike on Montana’s families.
Quick reminder – As Montana’s Insurance Commissioner, Rosendale is charged with saying whether insurance rates are excessive, inadequate or unjustified for Montanans. Instead of standing up to the big insurance companies, Rosendale folded like a cheap suit, sided with his corporate donors and let families in Montana down.
Before his time as Montana’s most special interest friendly Insurance Commissioner, Rosendale spent time in the state legislature where he voted against a bipartisan measure to expand Medicaid for Montanans. After the law was passed, Rosendale doubled down on his opposition to Medicaid Expansion, calling for massive cuts to Medicaid through the conversion of Medicaid into federal block grants, which would have resulted in massive losses in coverage. Despite Rosendale’s best efforts, Montana’s Medicaid expansion program currently covers more than 80,000 Montanans across the state, has created thousands of jobs, and has proven to be a lifeline for rural hospitals and the communities they support.
In contrast, Kathleen Williams understands the needs and challenges Montanans are going through and that is why she voted for expand Medicaid, won’t take a dime of corporate PAC money and is ready to take on big drug companies to bring down costs for hardworking Montanans, while making sure people with pre-existing conditions are protected and our seniors and veterans get the care they deserve.
POLITICAL HACK OUT OF TOUCH WITH MONTANANS – CHOOSING CORPORATE SPECIAL INTEREST OVER MONTANA’S PUBLIC LANDS AND SENIORS
After moving to Montana and running for office six times in the last 10 years, voters know who Rosendale is a politician that will say and do whatever it takes to get elected and they know he is not working on behalf of their interest.
He’s out of touch with the struggles of everyday Montanans and it shows in his record of choosing to support tax breaks for corporations, cutting health care protections for 152,000 Montanans, and pushing his pro-development agenda that hurts Montana’s ranchers, farmers and recreators
In contrast, Kathleen Williams has made her life in Montana, spent her life in Montana, working for Montanans and fighting for Montanans for nearly four decades. From her bipartisan work to bolster small businesses to bringing Montana’s of all stripes to the table for the betterment of Montana’s public lands, Kathleen has shown the ability to be an independent leader and fighter for all Montanans. Meanwhile, Matt Rosendale can’t stop running for higher office and buddying up to his East Coast pals and DC corporate donors.
TAX BREAKS FOR MILLIONAIRES INCLUDING ROSENDALE, WHILE SQUEEZING SENIORS AND IGNORING SMALL BUSINESSES
Millionaire Matt Rosendale from Maryland supports the GOP Tax Scam that will give 83% of its benefits to the wealthiest 1% of Americans, while exploding the deficit by $1.5 trillion. In order for Washington Republicans to pay for their tax handouts to corporations and wealthy individuals, the future of Social Security and Medicare — which Montanans have paid into and depend on every month — is being put at real risk. While Rosendale the multi-millionaire real estate developer from the East Coast can afford to gamble with the future, the people of Montana can’t.
Unlike Maryland Matt Rosendale, Kathleen Williams knows that Montana’s farmers and small businesses are the backbone of the state’s economy, not big corporations and out of state developers and billionaires. That’s exactly why, while in the state legislature, Kathleen helped Montana recover from the recession and championed bills that created thousands of jobs and bolstered small business programs.
PUTTING BILLIONAIRE OUT OF STATE DONORS FIRST, MONTANA’S PUBLIC LANDS LAST
When Rosendale isn’t supporting tax handouts for himself and his corporate donors, he’s backing new ways to put public lands at risk of being sold to the highest bidder and privately profiteering off his business ties with those who are working to rip away Montanans’ access to their public lands in the process. But not only has Rosendale shown that he’s in the pocket of pro-development and anti-public lands Texas billionaires, he’s so beholden to them that they got Rosendale to vote for their legislation that would have harmed a Montana way of life – the right to hunt and recreate on public lands.
In contrast, Kathleen Williams knows the importance of fishing, hunting and recreating are to Montana’s way of life because she has lived it. Kathleen has dedicated her nearly four-decade career to strengthening public lands, fostering outdoor opportunities and bringing together Montana’s ranchers, farmers, miners and public land advocates to strengthen Montana for all Montanans.
PATH TO VICTORY
From one failed campaign to the next, Matt Rosendale has continued to show he is a weak politician who won’t stand up for Montanans especially if it puts him at odds with his party or his corporate special interests in Washington.
And after six runs for office in Montana in ten years and millions spent to define him, the voters of Montana are skeptical of Matt Rosendale for Federal office. That is abundantly clear in public polling where Rosendale loses independent voters to Williams by double-digits and is tied in a head to head match up. Even the Chair of the Montana GOP conceded they could lose this House seat with Rosendale running against Williams.
Meanwhile, Democrats in Montana have always had a unique skill for building strong voting coalitions. In 2016, Donald Trump won Montana by a wide margin but that very same night, Democratic Governor Steve Bullock won his re-election by a 4-point margin. In 2018, Senator Jon Tester kept the momentum alive by winning his re-election campaign for the United States Senate by a 3-point margin against Matt Rosendale (yes, the same Maryland Matt). And while not ultimately victorious in 2018, Williams performed better than any other Democratic House candidate in 23 years, garnering over 46% of the vote.
And Kathleen Williams is building the war chest to compete in 2020: She starts this general election with a six-month head start, a significant cash on hand advantage of more than $300k over Rosendale and a further defined record of being an independent thinker, who doesn’t kowtow to corporate special interests.
The choice for Montana’s voters is clear come November – another career politician and corporate Washington Republican yes-man in Matt Rosendale or an independent community leader who’s shown that she’s working for them and can find bipartisan solutions to the tough issues Montana’s families face every day in Kathleen Williams.
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