Blue America has never endorsed anyone for a state Public Service Commission position before, but progressive state Rep. Tom Woods has proven himself in the Montana state legislature and he's running in a district the size of West Virginia for a position that's more impactful than that of a state legisaltor. As you probbsaly already know if you've been reading DWT, Montana is one of the strangest political landscapes in the West. The state has a million people living in an area that is larger than Germany. That’s an awful lot of dirt between light bulbs. In huge swaths of the state, anybody to the left of Atilla the Hun is a “stinking liberal” and yet Montana has consistently elected Democrats to both Senate seats and the governor’s mansion. That’s because Montanans like to think of themselves as fiercely independent and because they insist they can recognize genuinely good people on their ballot. As a result, progressives can, and do, get elected here, despite an occasional character like Greg Gianforte. We think that Tom Woods is one of those progressives. For four terms already in the state legislature, he’s "walked the walk." While in office, he consistently took a stand against the big corporations for Montana’s ratepayers… and won. He fought corporate money in state elections…and won. He’s done this because he’s articulate, persistent and strategic in dealing with people on both sides of the aisle. It’s why his colleagues elected him to caucus leadership. It's why we want to ask you to contribute to his campaign by clicking on the thermometer on the right. Montana has term limits, and Tom is terming out of the House of Representatives. Luckily, he's running for the Public Service Commission (PSC). Not many people pay attention to this race, despite the fact that it is one of the most important choices down the ballot. The PSC regulates utilities and has a huge effect on electricity rates and clean power. The current PSC has been killing clean power projects left and right despite the fact that renewables are cheaper AND cleaner than coal. In the latest 20 year power plan, the PSC had ZERO new solar and wind projects planned. That’s absolutely ridiculous in a state where the sun shines and the wind blows. Tom told me "Montana can do so much better. There are three large outdated and expensive carbon burning power stations in Montana that are coming up for contract renewal before 2024. Closing these facilities would reduce our carbon footprint by about 50%. That’s critical. It won’t happen with the current PSC." Tom is running for Montana’s open district 3 seat on the PSC to make sure that Montana consumers are treated fairly and to make sure that our planet survives. The contrast between Tom and his Republican opponent could hardly be more stark. Tom is a union member who lives, works, and pays utility bills in the district he is running in. His opponent, Jim Brown, doesn’t even live in the district. And that’s just the latest in a long line of Brown’s terrible choices. Jim Brown worked for an anti-union, dark-money group, American Tradition Partnership, supports unlimited campaign spending, and is currently the attorney in the Trump case suing Montana’s governor for allowing mail-in ballots. Tom Woods is the clear choice. Supporting Tom Woods for Public Service Commission is about taking a stand for progressive values, fairness for working people, and our planet’s future. He’s working his full time job as a Physics instructor. He needs financial support that has to follow finance regulations for Montana races. This meaning the maximum contribution to his campaign is only $180. Bottom line? Tom is running a grassroots campaign, and any little bit you can chip in will make sure he can get the word out before ballots drop in just a week!
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