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Ben Alke
Ben Alke (Democratic Party) ran for election for Attorney General of Montana. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Biography
Ben Alke graduated from Capital High School in 1997. He earned a bachelor's degree in finance and business economics from the University of Notre Dame and a juris doctor degree from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. His career experience includes working as a litigator in Montana, during which he worked cases involving the constitutionality of Montana laws.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Montana Attorney General election, 2024
General election
General election for Attorney General of Montana
Incumbent Austin Knudsen defeated Ben Alke in the general election for Attorney General of Montana on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Austin Knudsen (R) | 59.7 | 352,682 |
 | Ben Alke (D) | 40.3 | 237,928 | |
| Total votes: 590,610 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Attorney General of Montana
Ben Alke advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Montana on June 4, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ben Alke | 100.0 | 93,478 |
| Total votes: 93,478 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Attorney General of Montana
Incumbent Austin Knudsen defeated Logan Olson in the Republican primary for Attorney General of Montana on June 4, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Austin Knudsen | 82.2 | 148,458 |
 | Logan Olson | 17.8 | 32,141 | |
| Total votes: 180,599 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Alke in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ben Alke did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
Interview with Montana Public Radio
Alke highlighted the following themes in an interview with Montana Public Radio on May 15, 2024. The questions from Montana Public Radio are bolded and Alke's responses follow below.[2]
| “ |
What is your full name as it will appear on ballots? Ben Alke What is your age? 45 Where do you live? Bozeman, MT What is your education background? Helena Capital High School, Class of ‘97 University of Notre Dame, BA, 2001 Northwestern University Law School, JD, 2005 Please list your current and previous occupations. Attorney - Litigator What motivated you to seek the office of Attorney General? I’m seeking the opportunity to serve as Montana’s next attorney general to ensure that the office is held by a highly qualified attorney with integrity and competence. The Attorney General is the attorney for the people of Montana. The office plays a special role in protecting our safety and upholding our constitutional rights. The Attorney General must impartially enforce the law, without regard to race, religion, gender or political party. That is critical for our democracy to work and to protect our freedoms. The 2024 election provides Montanans with another opportunity to stand up for what is right. We can decide that the ideals of truth, freedom, and justice are more important than the labels we attach to each other. We can come together and reject those who try to force us apart. We can move forward together, protect the things that are sacred to democracy, and work to give our children better opportunities than the ones we have enjoyed. What are your top three policy issues? (1) Impartially enforce the law and restore the integrity and credibility of the leadership of the Montana Department of Justice and Montana Highway Patrol (2) Stop the flow of dangerous drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine into Montana (3) Combat human trafficking. What, if anything, should the office of Attorney General do to stop or reduce the flow of fentanyl and other illegal drugs into the state? The Attorney General needs to provide more support to local prosecutors and law enforcement. Prosecuting felonies and getting drug dealers off the street is law enforcement 101. The exact type of law enforcement support from the Montana Department of Justice depends on the county. To provide just two examples, the State is not prosecuting felonies in Lake County on the Flathead Reservation. That creates a law enforcement vacuum where cartels and other drug dealers can operate. In Yellowstone County, the Attorney General needs to support efforts to expand the county jail capacity to get drug dealers off the streets. Law enforcement is a complex collaboration between federal, state, tribal, and local agencies. It’s about working together and getting stuff done – not about press releases. [EDITOR'S NOTE: MTPR has cut part of this answer because it violated our rule barring attacks on political opponents.] What role does the Attorney General's office play in helping people in the criminal justice system struggling with addiction treatment? The Attorney General of Montana has a responsibility to collaborate with the Montana Department of Corrections and the courts to help ensure efficient, effective, and properly funded drug treatment courts and educational/training programs to help reduce recidivism among citizens struggling with addiction. Doing nothing has proven ineffective. As our next Attorney General, I would provide the leadership and dedication necessary to help ensure the resources are in place to significantly improve the matter on this front. What, if anything, should the Attorney General do to address human trafficking in Montana? The Attorney General must prioritize the human trafficking problem by (1) preventing human trafficking; (2) protecting victims; and (3) prosecuting traffickers. The officers of the Montana Highway Patrol Officers operate on the front lines of the battle against human traffickers. The Montana Department of Justice must have a full staff and adequate training to identify victims and to participate in the State’s strategic partnerships with Federal, tribal, and local law enforcement agencies. [EDITOR'S NOTE: MTPR has cut part of this answer because it violated our rule barring attacks on political opponents.] The Department of Justice must take the lead in assisting and protecting the victims of human trafficking. That means providing victims with the mechanisms to report trafficking and safeguarding victims from being inappropriately incarcerated, prosecuted, or otherwise penalized for unlawful acts as a direct result of being trafficked. The Attorney General can support local prosecutors by assisting with the prosecution of traffickers for sex crimes, and other offenses. What changes, if any, would you like to see made to the state’s criminal justice system? Montana’s Attorney General should improve coordination with the State’s partners in the criminal justice system on the state and local levels. For example, on the local level, the Department of Justice should assist with the prosecution of felonies that occur in Lake County on the Flathead Reservation. Lake County is currently not able to prosecute felonies because of funding circumstances unique to that county. Currently, Lake County is a “catch and release” county for felons, and there are approximately 2,000 outstanding warrants. [EDITOR'S NOTE: Lake County is still jailing and prosecuting people for felony crimes. According to the Lake County Sheriff's Office, there were 2,154 outstanding misdemeanor and felony warrants as of April 30.] This puts all Montanans at great risk because the Montana Department of Justice is not doing its job. On the state level, I would like to see the Attorney General coordinating with the Montana Department of Corrections to ensure there is sufficient capacity to get dangerous criminals off the streets. Finally, I would encourage the Montana Highway Patrol to implement the recommendations of a recent employee survey and improvement program that determined that fewer than 50 percent of the department’s employees trust the leadership in the Attorney General’s office. [EDITOR'S NOTE: MTPR has cut part of this answer because it violated our rule barring attacks on political opponents.] What should the state Land Board prioritize as it manages state trust lands? The Land board should prioritize increasing funding for public education and access to public lands. State-owned lands are held in trust for the support of education and the benefit of all Montanans. Some current members of the State Land Board have voted against land deals that would increase public lands to benefit Montanans. I disagree with those votes. As a native Montanan who grew up enjoying the mountains and rivers of Montana, I will do everything I can to protect and improve our access to public lands and waterways for hunting, fishing, and recreation. [3] |
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Campaign finance summary
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ben Alke | Montana's Next Attorney General, "Meet Ben," accessed September 19, 2024
- ↑ Montana Public Radio, “Q&A: Ben Alke, Democratic Candidate for Attorney General,” September 19, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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