Moore, Harmon Run For House 29 Position
Incumbent Valerie Moore of Plentywood and challenger Linda Harmon of Scobey are the two Republican candidates for the Montana House 29 position.
The district includes Glasgow, Scobey, Flaxville, Outlook, Plentywood, Medicine Lake and Froid.
Candidates answered the following questions from this newspaper.
1. Why did you decide to run for the position?
Moore: The reason I ran was to truly represent northeastern Montana. To bring a voice for all of you……not a faction, not party bosses and certainly not out of state interests. To bring Your voice to Helena. To let them know who we are and what our issues and concerns might be. As might be expected, it was a huge learning curve and I’m here to tell you, you don’t know what you don’t know and there is no way to understand this world if you haven’t lived it. Once you begin to learn the process and build networks with not only fellow legislators, but the governor’s office, state agencies and your constituents, you feel like you can finally do your job.
Harmon: My decision to run for House District 29 was to have a clear conservative voice in our Montana Legislature.
2. Describe your background and experience. Moore: She is a resident of Sheridan County has owned and operated Westby Meat and Grocery, managed the Tee Box Tavern at the Plentywood Golf Course and served as editor of The Border News. She has been a board member for the Westby School Board and Sheridan Memorial Hospital Foundation Board. She is seeking her second term as the representative for House District 29.
Harmon: My parents were Ivar and Edythe Brekke near Reserve in Sheridan County. We were raised on a farm and got to help with chores, pick rock, haul bales, chickens and also was involved with 4-H thru high school. Our father was a 3-4 grade teacher, so belief in education, God and music was a priority for us 11 children. After Antelope High School, I graduated from MSU in Bozeman. Barry, my husband, and I after pursuing his career as a mechanical engineer with Chicago Pneumatic Tool Co, were asked to come back to Scobey to help run Rasmus Nelson, a John Deere store. We were involved later with Prairie Sales & Service. Air Design was created to assist farmers with unique needs, so we have been busy making ag products, most of them now tungsten carbide scrapers for disk drills, air seeders and planters. They are being sold here and in many countries abroad. My task at Air Design was marketing director and I traveled to many farm shows in the Midwest and Texas plus also showcasing our products at Made in Montana shows. Barry and I were blessed with six children and they have been a great adventure. Agriculture had been a way of life for us.
3. What do you feel are the key issues facing Montana and your house district? Moore: Tax reform was a top priority last session for all of us including the governor. We succeeded in providing most Montanans with significant property tax relief on their primary residences. Close to 90 percent saw a tax saving with a small percentage of those staying neutral. For immediate relief a $400 rebate was given to homeowners in 2025. According to the Department of Revenue, in Daniels County that amounted to savings of close to $800 and Sheridan County saw an average of approximately $870. In addition, we passed the governor’s bill to lower the income tax rate to 5.4 percent by 2027.
Harmon: Key issues for Montana are reducing spending, eliminating unnecessary programs and keeping Montana Pro-Life, Pro-Family and Pro Second Amendment.
4. Do you have any opinion of how to improve the health care system for Montanans?
Moore: Renewing Medicaid Expansion was a priority for every hospital in my district and we were able to get this fine-tuned bill across the finish line with work requirements. Medicaid expansion is a 90 percent federally funded program and it was in all of our best interest to renew the program and keep our rural hospitals viable. I have been heavily invested in rural health care since I made the commitment to run as your state representative. Without accessible health care in rural Montana life isn’t sustainable in any of our communities. Last fall, I organized the first ever Healthcare Summit in Glasgow. All area hospital CEOs, the director of the Department of Health and Human Services, the administrator of the state hospital, the president of the Montana Hospital Association and the education director of Touro School of Medicine in Great Falls were all in attendance. It was a very productive and enlightening meeting for all involved. I hope this will keep communication open between all these entities for the foreseeable future not only to maintain, but more importantly to strengthen rural health by giving us a seat at the table when the decisions are made and money doled out from HR1 and Rural Health Transformation Program.
Harmon: Health care issues could be helped by price transparency, providers and hospitals should be required to post prices for commonly performed procedures to help eliminate surprise billing and promote competition. We should also scrutinize costly regulations that may be able to be reduced or eliminated to cut costs. 5. What were you the most disappointed in about the Montana Legislature in the the past session?
Moore: All topics are important for northeastern Montana and have the potential to impact all of us including the next generation. I’m asking you to send me back to Helena because at this point, I don’t feel it would be fair for you or me to give up. There is still a lot of work yet to be done.
Harmon: My disappointments in the 2025 session were: Having a preplanned disruption of the Senate the first day of the session and thereafter. HB2 and HB231 passed.
6. How have you proven that you can work with others?
Moore: Right now, I am working closely with landowners, DEQ , BLM, the electric cooperatives and Sen. Hunter to make Bridger pipeline a reality during this administration. This is an opportunity that comes along once in a generation for Montana and particularly the counties involved. The amount of property tax that will be realized by this scaled down version of the Keystone pipeline will have lasting impacts for these counties. For instance, in Daniels County the market value has the potential to double. We can’t let this opportunity slip away.
Harmon: My involvement with the vision statement and helping plan a much needed project in our community involved many voices! Scobey needed a much larger gymnasium. There were numerous fund raising projects including Pitchfork Fondues, the Dallas Brass coming to Scobey and involving many schools to perform with this world class band. Included in the building project was the great gymnasium, a commons area, used for cafeteria and community functions, a weight room and a walking track for the community also to use. Many people were involved and we have a beautiful structure which has served our whole area well.
