MONTANA HOUSE DISTRICT 39
State House Representative – the office of state representative serves in the Montana legislature’s lower house. There are 100 representatives who are elected from districts. Representatives are elected to 2-year terms. Representatives propose and vote on proposed laws during the legislative sessions that meet for 90 days in odd-numbered years, and provide oversight of state agencies and study issues through interim committees that meet between sessions. Representatives are limited to four consecutive 2-year terms.
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KERRI SEEKINS CROWE
(Rep)
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MELISSA SMITH
(Dem)
Q1. Please briefly provide the following information: place (town or county and state) of birth, age as of election day 2026, place (town or county) of permanent residency, occupation/employer, and education. How do these and your other life experiences qualify you to be an effective Legislator?
Q2. What are the most important issues you expect to face if elected to the Montana Legislature, and what are your positions on those issues? How would you prioritize each of the issues you have identified?
Q3. What economic policies will you pursue to help Americans who are concerned about their economic prospects in the coming years, including the cost of medical insurance and care?
Q4. What measures do you support to ensure Montana elections are secure while facilitating the ability of all eligible voters to cast their ballots? What, if anything, should the state government do to reduce the role of money in American elections?
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I was born in Des Moines, Iowa. When my dad's factory moved to Mexico, my family chased jobs and affordable housing until I finished college and chose Montana. I'm 53, I've lived in Billings Heights for more than 25 years, and I run a small website development and marketing business here — while raising my kids and volunteering with nonprofits focused on education and services for those most vulnerable people in the community. Running a small business means real decisions with real tradeoffs. Being an artist means looking at problems from angles others miss. Being a neighbor for 25 years means I know this district and the people in it.
I listen before I act. That's what HD39 needs in Helena.
Montana's legislature must prioritize strengthening our public schools, protecting healthcare access, and expanding voting rights.
Montana's public schools are the foundation of our communities. I will fight to increase K-12 funding, raise teacher pay, and mandate a licensed nurse in every Montana school so every child has the support they need to learn. Every Montanan deserves affordable healthcare. I will protect and expand Medicaid access and ensure full protection of reproductive healthcare — those decisions belong between a patient and their doctor, not politicians. Montana has a proud tradition of accessible voting. I will protect mail-in voting, reduce registration barriers, and push for automatic voter registration so every eligible
Economic security requires action on many fronts. Here are four I will prioritize in Helena.
Property taxes: Permanent relief for homeowners — not one-time rebates — with targeted protection for seniors and low-income families.
Utility costs: Holding NorthWestern Energy accountable and ensuring data centers pay their own infrastructure costs rather than shifting them onto ratepayers.
Workers: Protecting collective bargaining rights and opposing any effort to weaken union labor protections.
Healthcare: I support moving Montana toward universal healthcare. In the meantime, I will protect Medicaid and fight to lower insurance costs for working families.
Every eligible Montanan should be able to vote easily and securely. I support protecting mail-in voting, same-day registration, and automatic voter registration to remove unnecessary barriers while maintaining election integrity. It's also important to make sure that ID requirements do not add unnecessary barriers to voting, especially for poor, rural, and Native voters.
Montana has a proud history of fighting corporate money in elections — from the 1912 Corrupt Practices Act to Steve Bullock's fight against Citizens United. That fight isn't over. I support The Montana Plan, the bipartisan 2026 ballot initiative to remove corporate dark money from our elections, and full disclosure requirements for all political spending.
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