Viewpoint: Montana Conservation Voters’ endorsement raises questions

Daniel Carlino

Montana Conservation Voters’ endorsement of Seth Bodnar for U.S. Senate should raise serious questions about whose interests the organization actually serves.

Bodnar’s record is hardly that of an environmental champion. As an Environmental Studies graduate from UM, one of the programs Bodnar cut, I saw firsthand how his priorities played out on campus. He opposed student efforts to divest the University from fossil fuel investments, and on the campaign trail he has called for a vaguely defined energy expansion, meaning more drilling and fracking for oil and gas.

One of his top donors includes Michael Novogratz of Galaxy Digital, a firm actively building AI data centers. When we follow the money, it starts to make more sense why Bodnar doesn’t take a firm stance on any issues.

Does anyone know what this guy actually believes in? Pinning down any Bodnar position is a challenge. His platform reads less like a policy agenda and more like a fortune cookie.

MCV appears to be endorsing Bodnar not because of his environmental record, but because of who is funding their organization. In my own Missoula City Council race, MCV endorsed my opponent, Councilor Savage. When asked what environmental policies Savage had championed, MCV’s director couldn’t name any, because there weren’t any. That’s not a neutral mistake. That’s an organization that has stopped doing its homework or stopped caring.

MCV’s endorsements are no longer a guide for voters. They’re a transaction. Montanans who care about climate and conservation should look elsewhere.

Daniel Carlino lives in Missoula.