Greg Gianforte in Past and present Governor candidates from Montana
On Immigration:
Oppose efforts to relocate refugees into Montana
Greg Gianforte opposes efforts to relocate refugees into Montana, and supports efforts to secure our country's borders.
He believes that only those immigrants who want to be Americans should receive the privilege of U.S. citizenship.
Source: MTStandard.com on 2016 Montana gubernatorial race
Jun 18, 2016
On Crime:
Philosophically OK with death penalty; but is it worth it?
Q: Should the state eliminate the death penalty and opt for life without parole?
A: I have no philosophical objection to the death penalty; however, we should question if it is an effective deterrent to crime and if it is worth the price.
Source: Great Falls Tribune on 2016 Montana gubernatorial race
May 10, 2016
On Tax Reform:
406 Tax Relief plan: cut taxes & freeze government spending
Montana Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte has announced a tax proposal he dubs his "406 Tax Relief" plan, which he says will cut taxes and freeze government spending. Gianforte released his plan the final day for Americans to file state
and federal tax forms.Gianforte is seeking to phase out a business equipment tax over four years, hold state spending to current levels and reduce the maximum tax rate from 6.9% to 6%. Gianforte said, "I learned from over 30 years starting & growing
businesses that sustainable jobs and opportunities are only created in the private sector, not by government programs. Streamlining regulations, lowering taxes and slowing the growth of government will energize our economy and help create more high
wage jobs so we can stop exporting our kids."
Even before the Republican released his plan, the re-election campaign for Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock said the proposal would benefit the wealthy at the expense of middle class families.
Source: KFBB Fox News on 2016 Montana gubernatorial race
Apr 18, 2016
On Civil Rights:
We need equal opportunity, not equal outcomes
Aaron Flint, a spokesman for GOP gubernatorial hopeful Greg Gianforte, said the Bozeman high-tech entrepreneur thinks that oftentimes women should get more pay. "For example, his daughter goes to Stanford and got a perfect ACT score. Greg thinks she
should get paid more. As he's stated on the road from Ekalaka to Eureka: We need equal opportunity, not equal outcomes." Flint noted Gianforte's chief operating officer at RightNow was a woman, along with several other top executives and employees.
Source: Great Falls Tribune on 2016 Montana gubernatorial race
Apr 12, 2016
On Jobs:
Address Montana's dismal national standing on wages
With the economy a focal point of the governor's race, Gov. Steve Bullock is attempting to position himself as an advocate of the working class. His likely opponent in November, Republican Greg Gianforte, has been criticizing the governor for
the state's relatively dismal standing on wages. Bullock wants to see wages rise--particularly among women who aren't being paid fairly.
He said Montana women make about 67 cents for every dollar made by men. And he noted the slow pace in which women are catching up to men in salaries. "At this rate, the gap won't close until the year 2080.
That's unacceptable," he told the group. "I'd match our Montana work ethic up against any other state in the nation, and 39th in the country in pay equity is flat out not OK."
Source: The Missoulian on 2016 Montana Gubernatorial race
Mar 11, 2016
On Corporations:
BootStrapping for Businesses: mentors entrepreneurs
Proven Job Creator: Greg is the Founder & former CEO of RightNow Technologies. He created hundreds of jobs in Bozeman, Montana with an average salary near $90,000 a year. Greg is the author of "BootStrapping for Businesses", which he uses to mentor
entrepreneurs. He chairs the MT High Tech Business Alliance. Through his career, Greg founded five start-ups, creating jobs for over 1,200 people. Not a Government Insider: Greg spent his entire career creating jobs in the private sector.
His first business was at age 14, mowing lawns. Recently, he launched Better Montana Jobs in order to lift Montana up from the trenches of being 49th in the nation in wages.
Recently, Greg was inducted into the Montana Business Hall of Fame at MSU-Billings. In addition to founding RightNow Technologies, he is the Managing Director of Bozeman Technology Incubator.
Source: 2016 Montana governor's campaign website GregForMontana.com
Feb 3, 2016
On Education:
Provides high school scholarships for computer coding
Greg is the founder of CodeMontana, which provides public school scholarships to high school students to learn coding and computer science. He's also the founder of ACE Scholarships Montana to help low and moderate income students attend the school of
their choice. Additionally, Greg launched Gianforte manufacturing scholarships, providing 50% scholarships to low-income Montanans and veterans.
Source: 2016 Montana governor's campaign website GregForMontana.com
Feb 3, 2016
On Government Reform:
Eliminate excessive regulations that burden businesses
Accountability in State Government: Montana's government should serve the people of Montana, not the other way around. We need agency heads who have walked in the shoes of people they are serving,
to improve efficiency across all levels of government, and eliminate excessive regulations that are burdening businesses.
Source: 2016 Montana governor's campaign website GregForMontana.com
Feb 3, 2016
On Gun Control:
Lifetime member of the NRA
Family Man and Avid Outdoorsman: Greg and Susan have generously donated tens of millions of dollars to projects and organizations right here in Montana.
They raised all four of their kids hiking the mountains of Montana. Greg is a lifetime member of the NRA.
Source: 2016 Montana governor's campaign website GregForMontana.com
Feb 3, 2016
On Health Care:
Provide for those who cannot provide for themselves
Healthcare costs are rising sharply and account for 40% of our state budget. We must provide for those who cannot provide for themselves,
but work for increased price transparency and consumer incentives to make healthcare affordable for our hardworking families.
Source: 2016 Montana governor's campaign website GregForMontana.com
Feb 3, 2016
On Education:
Supports school choice and voucher initiatives
In addition to supporting school choice and voucher initiatives that have faced stiff opposition from Democrats in the Legislature, Gianforte proposed investing in additional science and math training for K-12 teachers and an expansion of the state's
Digital Academy so more kids could pursue advanced coursework. As one way to bring more computer science courses to schools, he proposed making them an alternative to fulfill foreign language credit requirements.
Source: Billings Gazette on 2016 Montana gubernatorial race
Jan 24, 2016
On Abortion:
Supported anti-abortion campaigns through Family Foundation
Montana has attracted a small but vocal hard-right Christian coalition, which is where Gianforte, a devout Christian, fits in.
The Gianforte Family Foundation has supported anti-abortion campaigns and helped build a museum based on the creationist belief that humans and dinosaurs coexisted. In 2014, Gianforte lobbied against a nondiscrimination ordinance in Bozeman.
Source: Ozy.com on 2016 Montana gubernatorial race
Jan 13, 2016
On Civil Rights:
Promoted openly gay workers despite his religious beliefs
The Gianforte Family Foundation has supported anti-abortion campaigns and helped build a museum based on the creationist belief that humans and dinosaurs coexisted. In 2014, Gianforte lobbied against a nondiscrimination ordinance in Bozeman.
For their part, past employees say that he never let his religious beliefs influence business, equally promoting openly gay workers and those of other faiths.
Source: Ozy.com on 2016 Montana gubernatorial race
Jan 13, 2016
On Education:
Helped build a museum based on creationist beliefs
Montana has attracted a small but vocal hard-right Christian coalition, which is where Gianforte, a devout Christian who grew up in Philadelphia, fits in.
The Gianforte Family Foundation has supported anti-abortion campaigns and helped build a museum based on the creationist belief that humans and dinosaurs coexisted. In 2014, Gianforte lobbied against a nondiscrimination ordinance in Bozeman.
Source: Ozy.com on 2016 Montana gubernatorial race
Jan 13, 2016
On Social Security:
Noah in the Bible was still working at age 600
In a talk at the Montana Bible College about how to find "godly purpose" in work, Gianforte explained why retirement isn't consistent with biblical teachings: "There's nothing in the Bible that talks about retirement. And yet it's been an accepted
concept in our culture today," he said. "Nowhere does it say, 'Well, he was a good and faithful servant, so he went to the beach.' It doesn't say that anywhere."
"The example I think of is Noah," he continued. "How old was Noah when he built the ark? 600. He wasn't like, cashing Social Security checks, he wasn't hanging out, he was working. So, I think we have an obligation to work. The role we have in work
may change over time, but the concept of retirement is not biblical."
[A supporter explained] that Gianforte was speaking "to the idea that we should all be good stewards of the unique gifts and talents we each have been given."
Source: HuffingtonPost.com on 2016 Montana gubernatorial race
Jun 10, 2015
Page last updated: Aug 12, 2018