Montana Governor Paints Rosy State Economy

HELENA — With the economy expected to be a central focus of Montana’s governor’s race, Gov. Steve Bullock on Thursday laid the groundwork for his re-election by declaring the state’s economy strong.

Republican challenger Greg Gianforte has made Montana’s low wages his campaign’s central theme. Gianforte has hammered the incumbent Democrat for not doing enough to produce high-wage jobs to keep Montana’s youth from fleeing the state for better economic opportunities elsewhere.

During a news conference in the Capitol, Bullock cited the state’s 4 percent unemployment rate as a key indicator of Montana’s glowing economy. Montana’s jobless rate is one point below the national rate.

“Our economy is strong,” the governor said. “The state’s ability to work collaboratively with the private sector has never been better. There is a lot to be excited about.”

The governor’s report, compiled by his economic advisers, cast a mostly rosy light on the state’s economy.

Bullock’s administration cited rankings placing Montana in the Top 10 in the country on various measures, including job growth, the business climate and income growth. “The sky isn’t falling,” the governor said.

Despite Bullock’s depiction of the state economy as solid, Gianforte’s campaign has nevertheless faulted the governor on his economic record.

“I don’t know what kind of bubble the governor and his staff are living in,” Aaron Flint, Gianforte’s campaign spokesman, said in an email. “They need to drive down to Whitehall and talk to the laid off miners. They need to drive over to Deer Lodge and talk with folks who’ve been put out of work.”

Gianforte, who officially launched his campaign for governor during a two-day tour of the state last week, has blamed the governor for Montana’s status as having among the country’s lowest wages. Gianforte says that Montana ranks 49th in the nation.

Gianforte’s statement is based on an analysis by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, which reviewed 2013 tax return data for each state. The study reported Montanans earn an average of $33,180 annually.

The U.S. Census Bureau, however, said 17 states in 2014 had lower median household incomes than Montana’s $51,102.

Patrick Barkey, the director of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana, said it was understandable the governor would paint a glowing picture of the economy.

“Our general conclusion was that 2015 was a pretty good year. I think he did a very good job of finding some really good things to say about our state,” Barkey said.

But he said Gianforte raises legitimate concerns.

“Is the governor’s report a fair read on the economy? I would say absolutely. Did he spend enough time talking about the challenges? That wasn’t the aim of the report. But just because it was a good year for the economy doesn’t mean all is right,” Barkey said.