JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Control of the U.S. Senate could come down to voters in mostly red Montana. Their Democratic Senator Jon Tester is in a tight race with Republican challenger Tim Sheehy. Tester is the last Democrat holding statewide office. On the same ballot, Montana voters are also deciding whether to amend the state's constitution to enshrine abortion protections. Montana Public Radio's Shaylee Ragar took a road trip across the state.
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SHAYLEE RAGAR, BYLINE: Along the Yellowstone River sits Livingston, a picturesque gateway to Yellowstone National Park, and it's seen an influx of new residents like much of western Montana. That includes Kaddie Williams, who moved from South Dakota about two years ago.
KADDIE WILLIAMS: I love it here.
RAGAR: Williams first spoke to Montana Public Radio about her views in early October. Back then, she was considering how to vote on a state ballot initiative to protect abortion access. While abortion remains legal in the state, voters will decide this election whether to guarantee abortion rights in the state constitution.
WILLIAMS: People are allowed to make their own decisions. You know, like, even Jesus would have said, like, free will. You have free choice.
RAGAR: On Tuesday, Williams plans to vote yes on that measure. Yet just this week, she said she doesn't plan to vote in the presidential election, saying she doesn't like any candidate and doesn't think it'll make a difference. Polls show former President Donald Trump is leading in Montana, a state he won by double digits in 2020 and 2016. Business owner and former Navy Seal Tim Sheehy, boosted by an early endorsement from Trump, is the Republican candidate for Senate. For voters like Pete Laizza in southwestern Ennis, that endorsement is important. The Army veteran retired from the Boston Fire Department and moved to Montana 10 years ago. He said he wanted to live in a more conservative state and can't believe how tight the Sheehy-Tester contest is.
PETE LAIZZA: And I'd like to see Sheehy win.
RAGAR: Laizza said Sheehy and the GOP represent his values well.
LAIZZA: And I just think that I've been for the flag, for the country, and I just think one party represents that a lot better than the other.
RAGAR: Questions about the origins of a gunshot wound have trailed Sheehy since last spring. He says he was wounded while serving in Afghanistan. But 2015 records show he told a park ranger he'd accidentally shot himself in a national park. Democrats often point to that discrepancy saying Sheehy isn't trustworthy. Polls show that Sheehy is ahead of Tester. If Tester, a three term incumbent, is to win this cycle, he needs voters like the Livingston voter, Williams. She's not sold on either party. Williams says she decided in the past few weeks to vote for Tester. She says she wants...
WILLIAMS: Someone that you can trust, and that's an honest person 'cause you don't find that a lot in politics.
RAGAR: Democrats are hoping that the ballot initiative to protect abortion access will also help turn out voters in his favor.
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RAGAR: Heading north to Montana's capital city Helena, the Last Chance Community Pow Wow took place last month. Rose Butler, of Cherokee and Shawnee heritage, drove over from Deer Lodge about an hour away. Butler is originally from Anaconda, a former copper mining town with once strong unions. She said her parents were loyal Democrats.
ROSE BUTLER: My dad always told me - if you sweat for a living, you vote Democrat. But seeing where the Democrat Party has went, he'd be rolling over in his grave.
RAGAR: But she credits Tester for caring about the same issues she cares about, like access to public lands and protecting veterans' health care.
BUTLER: My husband's a vet. He's had better care under Tester than, you know, any other person that was out there handling things.
RAGAR: Butler was leaning towards Tester last month, but now she plans to vote for Sheehy in person on Tuesday, as well as Trump. She said she wants to see Republicans gain a majority in the Senate to help pass Trump's priorities if he wins. For NPR News, I'm Shaylee Ragar in Helena, Montana. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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