Montana congressional hopefuls outline plans to curb cost-of-living pressures
Candidates for Montana’s 2026 U.S. House and Senate races presented specific actions they would take in Congress to lower housing, fuel, healthcare and grocery costs.
Late-summer polling indicates that roughly four-fifths of Montana voters consider cost-of-living issues decisive in the upcoming 2026 midterms, especially gas, housing, healthcare and grocery prices. In response, the nine individuals running for the state’s two House districts and its Senate seat each submitted three concrete legislative ideas aimed at reducing those expenses, along with a brief rationale for their feasibility.
Their suggestions include curbing federal waste and fraud, lowering taxes, accelerating energy-project permits, eliminating or revising tariffs, ending the U.S. war with Iran, expanding housing assistance programs, and reforming drug-price negotiations. Candidates also highlighted bipartisan support for measures such as permitting reform and housing tax credits, while some emphasized the need to end overseas conflicts that drive fuel and fertilizer costs. The collection of proposals reflects a broad consensus that affordability will dominate campaign narratives in Montana this election cycle.
