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Sanders County Democrats hosted a "Friend-Raising Fair" on Sunday at The Paradise Center, welcoming several state candidates.

Among the speakers Sunday at The Paradise Center were U.S. House of Representatives candidate Monica Tranel, State Superintendent of Schools Candidate Shannon O'Brien, and gubernatorial candidate Ryan Busse.

Monica Tranel is running against Ryan Zinke to represent Montana in the U.S. House of Representatives and has made several appearances in Sanders County recently. "It's because this is the heart of Montana, the Montana that I grew up in and the Montana that I know," she told The Ledger on Sunday. "It's the place where people feel most left behind and most overlooked and I think that's what representative democracy is really about, making people feel seen and heard. That's what I want to do."

Housing is an issue across the district, Tranel noted, and gave examples of how to address the issue. "One example is building the infrastructure for housing like sewer and water and that is a very specific issue that affects Paradise I know specifically, and also Seeley Lake. Sewer infrastructure is an issue across the western District.

"Some towns like Dillon are taking federal money that is helping invest and support that," Tranel continued. "We need to figure out what that feels like for a town like Paradise and how people can feel like they are being invested in without that feeling of 'we have to turn federal money away' but 'this is an investment in our community.'"

Tranel said she has other ideas for how to help the housing issues in Montana. "In housing, what I'm across the district hearing is there's not a single point of contact so that they can address housing issues and have a meaningful outcome. So creating those things are the constituent services that I can and will do. I'm listening across Montana. I'm laying the foundation to be a strong and effective representative," Tranel explained.

Tranel said she enjoys the people and the stories she hears on the campaign trail, as well as the opportunity to bring people together in surprising ways. "Our small communities and rural areas are the heart of the middle class. We need to restore, rebuild and invest in our middle class. As a middle child and having rowed in the middle of an Olympic 8, I know the power of the middle. I see you, I hear you and I will represent you," Tranel stated.

O'Brien addressed the crowd of more than 50 people on Sunday, saying "Whether it's friendships or politics, you have to show up to make a difference." O'Brien stated that she can do better for families, children and communities. "We can certainly do better right now for our teachers." She talked about the effort to privatize education. "The stakes are very high. Those charter schools can tear apart the very heart of those communities," O'Brien stated.

Annie Wooden

Ryan Busse, a candidate for governor, speaks at a Sanders County Democrats event Sunday in Paradise.

Busse also talked about high stakes for the 2024 election. "Our state's in peril and the stakes are high," he opened his speech with. "We're going to find common values and identify with people in the ways that matter." Busse, of Kalispell, announced his campaign for governor in September. "The governor of this state has to set the tone for the state. We have to be a state that helps people instead of a state that teaches people to hate each other." Busse told the crowd that "government is our tool, and the government is us."

Busse said he is a hunter, and that he is "really concerned with wildlife management." He worked for gun manufacturer Kimber before leaving the industry and writing "Gunfight: My Battle Against the Industry that Radicalized America," an insider's look at the gun industry.