Mike Cooney

MIKE COONEY

CURRENT OCCUPATION: Lieutenant Governor of Montana CAMPAIGN WEBSITE: www.cooneyformontana.com

Arrow-Circle-Right Briefly introduce yourself. I’m a lifelong Montanan. I have a proven track record getting real results for Montana as a state legislator, as Secretary of State, and now in my service as Lieutenant Governor. As Steve Bullock’s Lieutenant Governor, I’ve led on increasing wages and job opportunities, on protecting and expanding access to affordable health care, on tirelessly defending access to Montana’s public lands, and on keeping dark money and special interests out of our politics. I’m running for Governor because Montanans need a leader with the experience and know-how to bring Republicans and Democrats together, address Montana’s challenges head on, and get results.

Arrow-Circle-Right What makes you the

pro-business candidate for this

office? I’ve spent my career in public service working together with the private sector to foster a pro-business economic climate in Montana and deliver results for the business community. As Secretary of State, I directed the office to streamline our processes to make it easier to do business in Montana. As Governor Bullock’s Lt. Governor, I’ve worked directly with business owners all across the state to solicit input for the Main Street Montana Project. As a result, Governor Bullock and I repealed and adjusted thousands of regulations across state government to ease the burdens on business owners and entrepreneurs. As governor I will work with Republicans and Democrats to continue to implement policies that make Montana the best place to live, work, start a business, and raise a family: including making sure businesses have a pipeline of skilled, trained workers to fill high-demand jobs.

Arrow-Circle-Right If the political dynamics call for

it, how will your administration work “across the aisle” to address business issues during a legislative session? On which issues do you expect to achieve

bipartisan support? As a state legislator, Secretary of State, President of the Senate, and as Governor Bullock’s Lt. Governor, I’ve worked across the aisle on many issues to deliver results for Montanans. I believe good public policy comes out of sitting down with members of both parties and finding solutions that work for Montana. In Montana we’ve had success finding bipartisan support on issues like healthcare, education, and infrastructure. We passed and reauthorized Medicaid expansion. We passed a comprehensive infrastructure package, investing in critical projects all across the state. We’ve made record investments in our public education system, freezing college tuition and expanding dual enrollment. As governor, I’ll bring everyone to the table to tackle the challenges facing us today: rebuilding our economy and making sure Montanans can safely be back on the job, bringing down the cost of prescription drugs, expanding access to quality and affordable healthcare, and protecting our public lands.

Arrow-Circle-Right Please detail a specific issue

related to business that your campaign is prioritizing for this office. How you plan to address

it once elected? Before the outbreak of COVID-19, as I traveled across the state and met with business owners the number one thing I heard was the need for more skilled workers. I recently announced my plan to “Keep Montana Working” and one element of the plan includes shifting the priorities of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development to focus more on workforce development. The office will recruit new businesses, grow existing businesses, help with business transition, and to ensure our workforce training programs work in unison to meet the needs of our economy in 2030. It will also work closely with the Department of Labor & Industry to expand apprenticeship programs, workbased learning and work together with the private sector to identify additional ways we can work with Montana’s higher education system to bridge the gaps between the education community and the business community to ensure Montana students are qualified to meet the demands of businesses in industries across Montana. stop