Steve Held for United States Representative - District 2
Democrat
By Denise Rivette
Montana Independent News posed the same four questions to all candidates in the United States Representative race in District 2. Democrat Steve Held’s views are presented in their entirety below.
What are the Montana values that will guide your decision-making?
Simply, I would look toward my Montana roots going back to before it was a state. I have deep roots in our state going back to my great grandfather Billy Earl Cathey, a rancher who served on the first round of Montana Stockgrowers. He served in a posse chasing Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid out of Montana territory.
The list goes on.
My father Cap Hough grew up on a ranch and sawmill near Hammond and was the first hunting outfitter in the area, mayor of Broadus, on town council, helped pave the town roads, built the swimming pool, paved the airport, built the rodeo arena, sewer lagoon, town well. He along with other men brought the town into the 20th century. With his wife, my mother, he built the first modern motels in the region. Each was one of ten children, mom was a child and dad became a teen during the Great Depression. He worked the CCC camps, served in World War Two, and helped release Concentration Camps. My mother Jean Cathey also had deep roots from ranching in the area.
She was one of the first to join the Northern Plains Resource Council protecting family farms and ranches.
There were ranchers in every generation, and I've had direct experience in every issue, usually from multiple sides of each issue that confronts Montanans. I would love to talk with you at length about my direct experience with the many issues confronting us. My experience doesn't come from sitting behind a desk, sitting in a government office or being tied down on a few square miles but rather from across the country and around the world, dealing with every kind of person and living on the land as a Montana rancher owner/operator.
We have six tribal nations that I’ve visited, and asked for Ooma, prayers to be wise and open my ears. They are my neighbors. My children are 5th generation Montanans, theirs are 50th and I am listening.
I've lived these things, I don't just talk about them and I will take Montana’s message from the mountains to the Hill.
What skills, knowledge and experience do you possess that make you the better candidate?
I know ranching first hand and understand farming. I’ve also served in a labor union and know the challenges working people face. My daughter Rikki Held was the lead plaintiff in a case that challenged the state of Montana (Held v Montana) to ensure we have a clean and healthful environment as guaranteed by our state Constitution. Rikki was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Next Leaders of the world.
It’s easy to say you’re a rancher, but I have been. It makes me understand what it’s like to work the land, raise livestock and also to be part of the community. It’s also true that in Montana we don’t recognize party when a neighbor needs help. I see it all the time in my rural community. We pull neighbors out of the ditch, help when there’s a natural disaster, work stock together. It’s the same in Billings, Great Falls and Helena. Montana is a small town with a long main street, and I am fed up with politicians who want to sow division and are just looking for their next political post. I'm the only Democrat who has a chance of winning in Eastern Montana and the only one of the twelve running who has a chance of nomination and who has lived and worked in ag. There won't be any other nominee who actually represents us in Eastern Montana.
I have the business experience, people skills and values to be an excellent member of Congress. I want to stay in this seat, gain some seniority and do something that hasn’t been done in a long time – actually govern.
What are your top priorities to address during your term if you are elected?
First off, we need to pass the Farm Bill. I don’t just mean any Farm Bill, but rather a "Family Friendly Farm Bill" that redirects funds from multinational corporations to the family farm and communities. We need to support programs like farm to table foods, more local processing, direct marketing, and Country of Origin Labeling (COOL). And we need a "grown in Montana label," because we raise the best hard red wheat and beef in the world and should be paid for it.
Second, I'm the only Democrat who's been to the border and unlike the Republicans taking a paid vacation to score political points, I've been to all four sides of the country and talked to Border Patrol agents, first generation immigrants, and long time residents who live at the borders of Texas, California and Florida. It’s nothing like they portray on TV. But it is very serious. We have a bi-partisan bill that would overhaul our asylum laws and provide the funding and resources needed to secure the border, and anyone who voted against it isn’t serious about solving the problem. I am serious about it.
We must address corruption and insider trading in Congress. It's obvious – hold people accountable from Presidents to House members to the Supreme Court.
There are so many other issues, but first and foremost just get back to some basic civility and decency in politics. I can disagree with people without demeaning them. We have real challenges in this country, and we need two functioning parties to address them. I do not see the demise of the Republican Party as a good thing. We have always gotten the most done when we’ve compromised on big issues. That’s how you craft legislation.
We need a more fair, progressive tax code that ensures large corporations pay their fair share for the infrastructure and workforce that allows them to profit. We need campaign finance reform. And we need to continue to protect public lands that we all enjoy.
I’ve also been a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) union member. I was the youngest member of the SAG National Board of Directors at 28 when we were dealing with an AIDS crisis and have seen the benefits of organized labor helping everyone do better.
My children are IVF embryo transfers, I was adopted, my wife is a legal immigrant, and like every issue facing us, I've lived them in the real world, not learned them through media propaganda, and will represent real Montana in D.C.
What legislative language would you propose or support to address those priorities?
In many cases, there are laws on the books that need to be enforced. With the border issue, the bill that Republicans and Democrats crafted is sitting there ready to be refined and passed. Just yesterday, Republicans tanked it again, something they say they want. And the Farm Bill is being worked on, but needs more voices from rural America to understand what both farmers and ranchers and urban areas need.
I’ve always told my kids, when something needs fixing, get a tool. Congress is the people’s tool and I will work to fix our laws, not just yell about them. You need to fix the fence, instead of riding everyday to get your cattle back. Congress needs to be good neighbors.
Most Americans agree on most parts of most issues, despite what the media and politicians want to tell us. Almost nothing is black and white and we agree on parts of everything going in. By doing the work we're hired to do, we'll agree on even more coming out. We have good answers already from intelligent, well thought people on every issue, from every side, on the borders, to the environment, abortion, guns, AI. Time to get to work.