Moore, Knudsen Face Off In Primary
Valerie Moore of Plentywood and Miles Knudsen of Culbertson are competing in the Republican primary for House District 29. The district includes Glasgow, Scobey, Flaxville, Outlook, Plentywood, Medicine Lake and Froid, as well as the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. HD 29 is a single party race. We have open primaries in Montana, meaning a voter can participate in the political party primary of his or her choice.
Moore said that she was born and raised in the Plentywood area, as was husband Danny. She served for 10 years on the Westby School Board and served as chair for the Westby Development Corporation for more than 20 years. She owned and managed Westby Meat and Grocery for over a decade.
Moore said healthcare is her main issue. She comes with practical experience, having served on the Sheridan Healthcare Foundation board for eight years, which she says helped sharpen her appreciation of the difficulties facing systems and funding around Medicare, Medicaid and the Veterans Administration. She said funding levels need to match community needs and stressed that services for northeast Montana veterans in particular need to be improved. “It seems crazy when you have a facility in town,” said Moore, referring to Glasgow, “and veterans can’t make use of it.” She said her priorities include lowering taxes, adding, “it’s a pretty universal opinion out here.”
Miles Knudsen is from a multi-generational Culbertson family and said his experience in politics dates to the 1990s. He gained special insight working on son Austin Knudsen’s campaigns for the state house in 2013, 2015 and 2017 and wife Rhonda Knudsen’s runs in 2019, 2021 and 2023. Austin Knudsen has been Montana Attorney General since 2021 and Rhonda Knudsen is currently Speaker pro tempore of the Montana House of Representatives, representing House District 34. She is currently running for Montana Senate District 15.
He has additional experience on the Roosevelt Memorial Foundation Board in Culbertson, as well in farming, ranching and small business. He said he played an important role in the founding of Dry Prairie Rural Water and has served on the Montana Conservation District board and other organizations. His said his campaign priorities include lowering the income tax rate, the property tax rate and the crime rate. He also mentioned the possible impacts of illegal immigration on crime and the economy in northern counties.
