Greg Gianforte Loses Major Endorsement To Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney Due To Notorious Hostility To Public Lands

It’s only been a week since the primary, but it’s already clear New Jersey millionaire Greg Gianforte has a bumpy road ahead. He’s going up against lifelong public lands champion Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney – who just netted a major endorsement from the Montana Conservation Voters Action Fund.
After buying up large tracts of land and then suing to block public access to a popular local fishing spot, Gianforte lost his first bid to become Governor. Having not learned their lesson the last time, the MTGOP nominated Gianforte again despite the fact that his views on public access put him in conflict with 90% of Montanans.
As Montana’s Congressman, Gianforte has repeatedly undermined public lands stewardship. Former Montana Bureau of Land Management Directors said two bills Gianforte introduced would “strip protections from cherished public lands… a blatant, top-down, special interest driven attack on our public lands.”
“New Jersey millionaire Greg Gianforte’s opposition to public land access is out-of-touch with Montana voters,” said DGA National Press Secretary Jerusalem Demsas. “Gianforte has lost a major endorsement because he simply doesn’t share the same values as Montanans who want to protect public lands. With Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney — Montanans can trust that public lands will remain in public hands.”