ICYMI: SEIU 775 Montana Members Endorse Independent U.S. Senate Candidate Seth Bodnar

MISSOULA, MT — SEIU 775, which represents more than 60,000 long-term care workers providing quality home care, nursing home care, and residential services in Washington, Montana, and Alaska, has endorsed Independent Seth Bodnar for U.S. Senate in Montana. 

“Care workers show up for Montanans and our families every single day, and it’s long past time Washington showed up for them,” said Bodnar. “I’m grateful to SEIU 775 for the work they do standing up for the folks doing this work every day, and for trusting me with their endorsement. As Montana’s Independent voice in the Senate, I’ll answer to the people doing this work, and to the seniors, veterans, and Montanans with disabilities who depend on them.”

“SEIU 775 members know firsthand that strong care systems depend on leaders who understand the challenges facing Montana’s long-term care workforce,” said Jacquie Helt, State Director of SEIU 775 Montana. “Throughout our endorsement process, Seth Bodnar demonstrated a willingness to listen to frontline workers, engage thoughtfully on the issues that matter most to caregivers and articulate a vision that earned the confidence of our members. We are proud to announce the endorsement of SEIU 775 Montana members and look forward to working with him on behalf of the workers and families we serve.”

Central to Bodnar's health care agenda is defending Medicaid expansion, which covers roughly 76,000 working Montanans, funds much of the long-term care system SEIU 775's members work in, and has helped keep rural hospitals in the state open. His broader rural health care agenda also includes protecting rural hospital funding, fixing Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates that chronically underpay rural providers, and making telehealth expansion permanent, including audio-only options for communities without reliable broadband. Read Bodnar’s full platform here.

“After interviewing two of the Senate candidates, we concluded that Seth Bodnar articulated a clear path to victory,” said Winifred Schafer of Wolf Point, an SEIU 775 Montana member leader. “Our members were looking for a candidate who listened, answered our questions directly, and demonstrated a genuine commitment to strengthening Montana’s care workforce and the communities we serve.”

Seth Bodnar is a Green Beret, business leader, and former president of the University of Montana running for the U.S. Senate to be an independent voice for Montana. Seth is guided by a lifelong commitment to duty, honor, and country. He graduated first in his class at West Point and served multiple overseas deployments, leading soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division and the 1st Special Forces Group, and serving as a special advisor to the commanding general in Iraq. After his military service and a successful career in business, Seth spent the last eight years leading the University of Montana. Under his leadership, the university achieved record high graduation rates, doubled research funding, launched the largest infrastructure renewal in campus history, restored financial stability, and was named the #1 military-friendly university in the country. Raised by two public school teachers, he believes leadership is about service, not party loyalty. Seth and his wife, a fifth-generation Montanan, are raising their three children in Montana.

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