Montana House of Representatives District 97 candidate surveys, 2022

Elections in Montana, 2022

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This article shows responses from candidates in the 2022 election for Montana House of Representatives District 97 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

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• Click here to see Candidate Connection survey responses.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Montana House of Representatives District 97

Lyn Hellegaard defeated Devin Jackson in the general election for Montana House of Representatives District 97 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lyn Hellegaard (R)	56.0	2,898
		Devin Jackson (D)	44.0	2,278

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,176
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

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Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Devin Jackson (D)

Affordability. We have to do everything we can to reduce costs of mortgages, rent, property taxes, and childcare, while we raise wages.

Local control. Returning power to counties and schools. Doing what we can to reduce local taxes and improve our education system.

Upholding the Constitutions of both the United States and Montana. Opposing the extremist policies that want to take our rights away.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Devin Jackson (D)

My community and many others have a highway through the middle of them and no say in the traffic laws they have to live with. I hope to help Lolo and other communities develop a way to have a voice in things like speed limits, stop lights, and school zones. I have always felt that representative government needs more representatives. I will always say 435 isn’t enough representatives for 400 million Americans. In that same view, Missoula County has 10 House Reps and 4 Senators, but only 3 commissioners. Lolo is better represented at a state level than we are at the county level. I find that inadequate.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Devin Jackson (D)

I am an American and our most important principles are in The Constitution of the United States, all of us have a duty to uphold those principals and rights above all others. I am also a Montanan, my mother was in the building while they were writing our Constitution and I will make sure to stand for all the extra rights we’re given as Montanans, like our right to privacy, our right to stream access, and our rights to a clean and healthful environment.

We need elected officials that can be empathetic. A debate about what’s best for everyone requires people that are capable of looking at things from someone else’s point of view. A legislator must be open to the idea that they aren’t perfect and can be wrong. Part of that means being open to interacting with the people, you can’t hide from town halls.

We need people that believe that there is a role for government to make life better for people. If you don’t think government can help anyone, you shouldn’t be there. If you can’t see that tax relief for seniors will help people that retired in Montana afford to stay in Montana, then you’re not fit for the job. I personally feel we need to elect more working class people to legislature too. We need people living for today to make the choices about today.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Devin Jackson (D)

My 1st job was changing irrigation pipe in the Bitteroot. My hay fever got so bad one day after blooming, that my eyes swelled shut, and my dad found me wandering around in the field basically blind but trying to finish that row of pipe. It took almost a week but once they cut the alfalfa and my eyes could open again I went back to work. I held the job all summer but clearly it wasn’t the job for me and I didn’t go back. Still I lived in an agrarian community and spent many years bucking hay bales, feeding livestock, and other ranch hand duties. Right now my community and Montana need an increase in home inventory. It is going to be necessary to convert some ag lands into housing. Still, I think we need to try and protect our active farms or Montana will have a new problem. We’ll be importing our food and anyone that works here will tell you, “shipping is my biggest cost”. I can assure you that I will work to find a balance that lowers both our housing and food costs.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Devin Jackson (D)

My favorite book is “Lost Horizon” by James Hilton. It was the first paperback ever published and gave us the utopian concept of Shangri-la. As a boy from Western Montana the mountains are my happy place and the Himalayas are the pinnacle of mountains. I feel a bit of a kinship with the main character who’s leadership style isn’t always orthodox but is usually effective. As much as he wants to relax and listen to music, he knows that he must rise to the occasion and do the hardest thing imaginable to serve the people he is responsible for. There may be some personal connections to, as my mother died in a mountain plane crash before I had memories. Still I take the story of the plane crash with me on every flight. I would also like to say that “Go by Go” by Jon A Jackson is a great look at Montana labor. It’s historical fiction about the Frank Little murder that sticks closer to the reports than any other attempt I’ve read. Still, it makes a point of showing that Pinkerton’s and other’s hired by the companies played a larger role in his death than the official account shows. It also reminds us that no matter what a company does for the community they’re still only acting in the best interest of the company. The only way workers can guarantee fair wages and treatment is by forming a union and negotiating as one body.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Devin Jackson (D)

The biggest struggle has been, how to afford to stay in Montana. Montana’s wages have always been low for the nation, but Missoula County’s are low for the state. I’ve spent time stressing about my mortgage. I’ve been stuck having to buy a new hot water heater without room in my budget. I’ve had my work truck break down at the worst possible time. Like most of the people in my district I’ve stressed about paying my bills and considered job offers in other states. But the Bitterroot is my home. That’s why I’m running. If you work in Montana you should be able to afford to live in Montana. If you retired in Montana you should be able to afford to stay in Montana. If you grew up in Montana you deserve to be able to afford to start a life in Montana. If you’re considering moving to Montana you shouldn’t have to take a pay cut to live here. Montana should work for working Montanans.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Devin Jackson (D)

Yes, I served for 15 years on a volunteer board, it taught me a lot about how to make government effective. Lobbyists love inexperienced lawmakers because they are easier to convince. Knowing the limitations of the bureaucracy is very helpful in focusing your work in the right places to accomplish the things your district is asking for. It also helps me make realistic claims regarding my platform. It would be nice to tell every voter I meet “Yes” but that’s not realistic. We need new ideas and fresh points of view, but I think we can all agree that empty promises help no one. Our open government policies force politicians to tell the public exactly what they’re doing, and electing people that don’t know those rules always results in trouble for the politician and the cause they were advancing. I think it’s important that we elect working class citizens, but that doesn’t mean they have to be inexperienced.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Devin Jackson (D)

I will be trying to get on the Transportation Committee. Lolo is my community and we have two major US Highways running through our town, but since we are not allowed to incorporate under state law, we have zero say in the major thoroughfare in our town. My district also includes another US Highway and Interstate 90. I want to provide some feeling of self determination to the communities in my district when it comes to basic things like, speed limits, school zones, traffic lights, etc. A large portion of my work is installing video conference systems. I know that if I haven’t learned anything new in a few months I’m behind. I don’t want Montana to be left behind because our legislators don’t understand technology. So I am also hoping to be on the telecommunications committee and the government modernization task force. Montana needs to look to the future if we want to be a place worth starting your life in.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Devin Jackson (D)

Absolutely. Much of our current political debate is treated like a sport. “My side is good, your side is bad. I scored points on you.” The problem is politics isn’t a game to beat your opponent at, it’s a debate involving all sides to find a compromise that is best for the people of Montana. If one side “loses” then some Montanans lost. I’m applying for a job to represent everyone in my district not just democrats, and I don’t want any of them to lose.

Yes there are things I must stand firm on, like protecting Montanans’ rights under our constitutions, but the most effective legislation will come from a place of compromise. If I want to accomplish change for my constituents, I will have to look for places that we can find agreement from “opposite sides”.

Politics only works when everyone has a seat at the table and we are open to change and growth. If we want to take Montana to the future we’re going to have to do it together as Montanans.

See also

More about these elections:

• Montana House of Representatives elections, 2022

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