Jesse James Mullen for Secretary of State
Democrat
By Denise Rivette
Montana Independent News posed the same four questions to all candidates in the Montana secretary of state race. Democrat Jesse James Mullen’s views are presented in their entirety below.
What are the Montana values that will guide your decision-making?
When I came to Montana for work at age 20, in 2004, from Wyoming, I moved into a trailer in Philipsburg. Down the lane from my place, a conservative widower rancher lived in an old home next door to a liberal first-grade teacher with dreadlocks. The teacher's home was hand-built, with split-rail fencing. Every Saturday, the two drank coffee together on one of their porches. They were friends. It didn't matter that they had different political backgrounds, went to different churches, had different careers, and were born 50 years apart.
They shared the Montana value of caring for their community. They knew they were on the same side.
While they might have different ideas on how to get where we're going, the neighbors we care for and the communities we serve are the same. That shared value of community-building and caring for Montanans will guide my decision-making.
What skills, knowledge and experience do you possess that make you the better candidate?
More than 2 decades of keeping politicians honest as a reporter and editor, followed by bootstrapping a successful Montana-based newspaper company with 21 publications in 6 states gave me the grit and hard work ethic needed to serve Montanans well. My success in the private sector shows we have a real choice between candidates for Secretary of State in November. The incumbent is a career politician and bureaucrat. I built customer service centers for some of the largest private media companies in the USA. I know what customer service and efficiency mean, and I will make certain our Secretary of State Office serves Montanans and then gets out of the way.
What are your top priorities to address during your term if you are elected?
Rebuilding the credibility of Montana's electoral process and building a Secretary of State Office focused on accountability, transparency, and the competent handling of Montana's business services, elections, and public records.
What actions will you take to address those priorities?
I will immediately ensure the Secretary of State's Office returns to prioritizing its Constitutionally Mandated duties and eliminate the millions ($1.3 million in her first two years) in legal expenses my opponent creates, losing lawsuits for not completing the duties of the office. The office will prioritize the safe and secure running of Montana's elections by working with county election officials to ensure they have the resources required to complete elections quickly, accurately, and within the timeline mandated by law. I will not fight against Montanans to provide refunds for overcharges caused by the failures of the current Secretary of State. I will treat the Office like an independently elected executive position that is answerable to Montanans rather than submitting to the whims of whoever is Governor at the time.