Niles Brush
Niles Brush was a 2012 Republican candidate for District 50 of the Montana State Senate.
Brush is a support specialist with the Missoula Police Department, and is a certified election judge, poll judge, and polling place manager. He served in the Army from 1999 to 2007, during which time he graduated from Barton County Community College in Fort Riley, Kansas with an associate degree in general studies. Following his retirement, he received another associate degree in paralegal studies from the University of Montana College of Technology in 2011. The next year, he graduated from the University of Montana with a bachelor's degree in political science with a public law emphasis, minoring in history.[1][2]
Campaign themes
2012
Brush listed his platform on his website:[3]
On the economy: ...We need to attract more businesses and encourage economic development. We have vast resources right here that we can responsibly develop through mining, logging, and drilling.
On taxes:
Lots of folks told me that they find their tax burdens growing to the point of oppression. Seniors on fixed incomes, families struggling to pay bills, and many other Montanans find themselves with a choice between scaling down or going homeless. With today's real estate situation, many will be forced into the latter choice. Imposing higher taxes at this point may do a lot more harm than good. Food and fuel price hikes put enormous pressure on people with stagnant or non-existant (sic) incomes. Raising taxes on businesses or the rich only encourages them to seek out more favorable states such as Texas. While we need tax money for education, infrastructure, programs, and services; we may have arrived at the point of diminishing returns.
On education: ...We need to make decisions that place providing a high quality education above other interests. Better pay for teachers should lead towards providing our children and grandchildren with a better education.
On energy:
...The key to energy independence is allowing private businesses enough leeway to do what they do best- innovate and invent.
On the environment:
Reclamation must be part of any extraction plan to avoid the destruction caused by the Copper Kings.... Current logging, drilling, and mining technologies are leaps and bounds beyond where it was in the early to mid 20th century. We can and will strike a balance between responsible economic development and conserving the environment for future generations.
On crime:
Violent crimes and DUI fatalities continue to haunt countless families across our state. The costs of emergency responders, hospital bills, and presecutions (sic) place a drain on public and private resources. Resources we could be spending elsewhere or using in alternative ways. The last legislature strengthened the DUI laws and many provisions are just now coming about such as the 24/7 program. Before making any further changes there, we need to see how the new laws impact DUI statistics. Meanwhile, violence remains an issue. I believe the time has come to re-examine violent crime laws and change them where appropriate.
On civil and states' rights:
...Constitutions and laws are not set in stone, but processes exist for changing the law. The constitutions provide for change. We are a nation based on the rule of law, not the rule of man. Individual rights and state's (sic) rights, as guarenteed (sic) by our constitutions, are paramount to maintaining a civil society.
Elections
2012
- See also: Montana State Senate elections, 2012
Brush ran in the 2012 election for Montana State Senate, District 50. Brush ran unopposed in the June 5 primary election and was defeated by Cliff Larsen (D) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[4][5]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Cliff Larsen Incumbent |
60% | 5,944 | |
| Republican | Niles Brush | 40% | 3,965 | |
| Total Votes | 9,909 | |||
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Brush is single.[3]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Niles + Brush + Montana + Senate"
External links
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions: 2012
Footnotes
- ↑ Senate Campaign for Niles Brush, "About Niles," accessed October 10, 2012
- ↑ Facebook, Brush's personal page, accessed October 10, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Senate Campaign for Niles Brush, "Issues," accessed October 10, 2012
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "2012 Legislative General Election Canvass," accessed February 13, 2014
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "2012 Legislative Primary Election Canvass," accessed February 13, 2014
