4 January 2017
Rancher and musician Rob Quist will seek Democratic nod for Congress
The big and well traveled hat belonging to rancher and well known musician Rob Quist was thrown in the ring today for the Democratic nomination for the special election for the U.S. House of Representatives. Quist joins Democratic legislators Rep. Amanda Curtis, Kelly McCarthy, and Casey Schreiner, in seeking their party’s nomination, which will be made at a special nominating convention after Rep. Ryan Zinke is confirmed as Donald Trump’s Secretary of the Interior.
Quist said he’s running because:
I have spent a lifetime traveling the state working with and getting to know the concerns and the needs of my fellow Montanans. This is a time of great polarity in our nation and I feel that my skills as a communicator and a consensus builder working for all Montanans could be an asset for our state on a national level.
He will, he promises, work to protect Social Security and Medicare; protect public lands; develop new energy technologies; streamline and simplify the tax code so that it works for everyone; provide higher pay for teachers; support labor and unions; help farmers and ranchers obtain higher prices for their products.
Quist grew up on a ranch near Cut Bank. A graduate of Cut Bank High School, and president of his senior class, he studied physical therapy at the University of Montana, where he played varsity basketball. It was at the university that he formed the now almost legendary Mission Mountain Wood Band, with which he toured nationwide for 12 years. Some of his songs made Billboard’s top 100.
He has a long history of of public service in the arts and education:
Quist has served on the Montana Arts Council for 11 years, on the Board of the Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation of America for six years; has worked with the Montana Department of Commerce as an ambassador to our sister State in Kumamoto, Japan; served as spokesman and advocate for the Montana Food Bank, and recently received a grant from the Office of Public Instruction to develop antibullying programs and a “Native Oral Traditions” program to enhance the arts in our public school systems and promote understanding of our Native Peoples.
Quist and his wife, Bonnie, a former English teacher, live on a ranch near Creston. Their adult children, Guthrie and Halladay, are also involved with education and the arts.
Quist brings to the campaign an easygoing western authenticity that reminds one of former Gov. Brian Schweitzer, who had a knack for reassuring traditional Montanans that he understood them and cared about their concerns. His ability to connect on a cultural level enabled Schweitzer to discuss issues with rural voters in a way that many urban Democrats cannot. Quist has a similar ability to connect with rural Montanans.
He’s certainly connected with me. I think he’s by far the strongest of a group of strong candidates for the Democratic nomination, and he has my support.