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Whitford, Johnson vie for Senate District 8

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The eastern half of Lake County will cast their ballot for the Senate District 8 seat, which includes several counties stretching all the way to the Canadian border. Facing off for the seat is Republican Liane Johnson and Democrat Lea Whitford. 

Whitford is currently serving as Montana state representative for House District 16. She is a planner for the Blackfeet Tribes Planning and Economic Development office. 

Whitford lives northwest of Cutbank and is a lifelong resident of the Blackfeet Reservation. 

Whitford said she brings experience to the table because she has previously served on the state’s legislative appropriations committee, natural resource committee, and transportation appropriations subcommittee.

Whitford wants to boost Montana’s economy and create jobs, ensure all Montanans have access to affordable healthcare, and make sure the state is adequately managing all natural resources. 

Liane Johnson, a lifelong resident of Glacier County, has served on several boards and has worked diligently to expand healthcare access in northwestern Montana. She has written several grants for the cause. 

Johnson said she’s knocked on doors to find out what people are most concerned about in the upcoming session. 

“There are so many things I see,” Johnson said. “There’s such an expectation for change in education and I thought knocking on doors that I would hear a lot of that. What I’ve heard is jobs, jobs, jobs. I think there are ways to create more jobs in Montana.”

Johnson said it is important that the state settle the federal reserved water rights claims made by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. 

“I think it is very beneficial to get these compacts passed,” Johnson said.

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