HELENA, Mont. — Ahead of the primary election on June 2, NBC Montana is interviewing candidates to get an idea of their policy stances.

NBC Montana sat down with current Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, who’s running as a Republican for Montana’s western U.S. House seat. The seat is currently held by U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, who is not seeking reelection.

The full interview is embedded below on YouTube:

During the interview, Jacobsen repeatedly described herself as a “proven leader,” pointing to her time as Montana’s Secretary of State.

“I have delivered on all of my campaign promises starting from 2020 to secure our elections and partner with our business community,” said Jacobsen.

Jacobsen says she supports reducing the size of government, referring to her work as a state official.

“I have a proven track record, not only the votes that I have on the land board that support natural resource development and public access. But my proven track record by supporting businesses in the state, eliminating fees, cutting red tape, getting government out of the way, downsizing government, being accountable for spending, transparency securing our elections. I have a proven track record as delivering as a leader not just talking about it, but actually delivering on that. And that’s why in the last two general elections I’ve won by the largest margin of any other candidate on the ballot, including President Trump,” said Jacobsen.

Jacobsen cited reductions in her office’s staff, reductions in state government leases and reduced business filing fees, as well as voter ID requirements in state elections.

NBC Montana also asked Jacobsen about how she would plan to reduce the cost of housing. She said her approach would focus on “downsizing government,” reducing regulation and accelerating the permitting process.

“I think for Montanans, it’s important that we are eliminating taxes or reducing taxes, and as secretary of state I’ve done that, I’ve actually put the work into downsize government by reducing staff by half and reducing the number of state government leases from four to one. And with the savings, I’ve been able to provide better service for Montanans, our business community and our voters,” said Jacobsen.

When asked about the Trump Administration’s efforts to downsize the federal workforce through DOGE, she said the size of the federal deficit makes spending restraint a priority.

“I think that has to be priority to make sure that we have our spending under control and Montana’s have to live by a budget a secretary of state. I had to balance the budget I held the line with spending and that didn’t, that meant not even increasing the spending with inflation. It meant actually reducing the spending and I know if we’re able to do that at the secretary of state’s office that I will be able to do that in Congress and when you do that you can pass that savings on and in fact reduce taxes and make many of the tax cuts permanent,” said Jacobsen.

When asked about rural health care challenges, Jacobsen said she supports telehealth when appropriate, preventive care and reducing insurance-related red tape.

NBC Montana asked Jacobsen about her stance on the war in Iran.

“I think the president has done a good job with it being Operation Epic Fury, and I think Montanans want to see an end to it fairly quickly, and we’re supporting the president in hopes that happens soon,” said Jacobsen.

She said she hopes soaring gas prices are short-term. When asked about rising costs associated with the Trump Administration’s tariffs Jacobsen did not directly say whether or not she supports them.

“In general, I support free enterprise, and I think the less amount of government that we have, the less government interference and more private sector growth that we have as an opportunity for business to thrive and do it through free enterprise. That’s my position,” said Jacobsen.

NBC Montana asked Jacobsen on her willingness to work with leaders from the other party, referencing the longest government shutdown in U.S. history that lasted 43 days in 2025.

“It’s an absolute failure of our congressmen, and I do not believe that we should have any workers going and doing their job and congressman being able to take a vacation or take a break and continue to get paid. I would absolutely support that congressmen are not allowed to go home take a break or continue with a paycheck if they are in fact standing in the way of delivering for the workers and the people of our country,” said Jacobsen.

NBC Montana asked about President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Republican candidate Aaron Flint, who’s seeking the same seat.

“I have an amazing partnership with Trump, as you mentioned he endorsed me in 2024, and moving forward we’ve partnered with the Trump Administration to secure our elections and make sure that we have only citizens voting in the state and I think that’s an amazing partnership that I’m very proud of,” said Jacobsen.

Jacobsen avoided drawing a direct contrast with current U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke when asked what she would do differently.

When asked what separates her from other Republicans in the race, she said, “I’m a doer. I’m not a talker.”

She cited her statewide election margins and her work on the state land board.

With another cup of Turkish coffee poured, the Brewing Better Health series continues, this time turning to a conversation about data, trust and how people make sense of changing information.

In Episode 5 of Brewing Better Health, Matt Strickland, Ph.D., joins Dean Muge Akpinar-Elci, M.D., MPH, to talk about how data, communication and evolving evidence shape the way people understand health and make decisions.

Strickland is a professor and chair of the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Environmental Health at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Public Health. He studies how environmental exposures, such as air pollution and wildfire smoke, affect population health. That research often relies on large data sets, tracking outcomes like asthma, cardiovascular health and emergency department visits across entire communities.

But, as he explains, the work is never just about numbers.

“We are so used to working with big data sets, we can forget that those entries in the data sets are people,” Strickland said. “These are families.”

That perspective took shape early in his career while working with a birth defects surveillance system. Listening to families helped him see that public health data is not just about analysis. It is about answering real questions, helping people understand what lies ahead and making information useful in their daily lives.

“We are so used to working with big data sets, we can forget that those entries in the data sets are people,” Strickland said. “These are families.”

As they continue talking, Akpinar-Elci and Strickland reflect on how this work connects to decision-making. Much of the research contributes to the evidence used to set air quality standards under the Clean Air Act, helping identify which pollutants pose the greatest risk and where action can make the most difference.

In Nevada and across the western United States, that focus increasingly includes wildfire smoke, dust and other environmental challenges shaped by climate and geography. While the health risks tied to air pollution may seem small at the individual level, Strickland explains that they look very different across a population.

“When everybody is breathing air, those tiny little increases in risk add up day after day,” he said.

As the conversation turns to trust, Akpinar-Elci raises a challenge many in public health are facing right now: how to communicate science as it changes.

“Science is constantly changing right now,” she says. “But when the message is not connected, that creates not trusting the results.”

Strickland sees that shift as well.

“Maybe part of the loss of trust in science is our fault as scientists,” he said. “People often have to rely on authority because they don’t always have the tools to evaluate the information themselves, and who people trust has changed over time.”

With so many voices and perspectives, knowing who to trust is not always straightforward. For both, the challenge is not just producing good science, but helping people understand how and why that science evolves over time.

Even with those challenges, Strickland remains optimistic. Looking at long-term trends, he notes that air quality in the United States has improved significantly over time, even as new issues like wildfire smoke continue to emerge.

For him, progress in public health is not about quick wins, but steady, long-term commitment.

“You have to kind of focus on the long game,” he said.

Brewing Better Health features faculty and public health leaders from the University of Nevada, Reno School of Public Health and beyond. Each episode pairs thoughtful conversation with the tradition of Turkish coffee, emphasizing connection, listening and shared understanding.

Watch Episode 5 of Brewing Better Health featuring Matt Strickland, Ph.D., on YouTube or listen on Spotify.

Josh’s Monday Night Forecast

Cloudier skies have moved into New Mexico today along with warmer temperatures. A few spotty to isolated showers have also developed this afternoon across western parts of New Mexico. Overnight, upper level moisture will increase across the region. This will bring more scattered to widespread shower and storm chances starting Tuesday.

Showers, storms and high elevation snowfall will move throughout much of the region with southeast New Mexico remaining quiet through Wednesday. Drier air moves in statewide by Thursday. This will bring fewer rain chances through the end of the week along with warming temperatures into the weekend.