2012 Primary Candidates

Speaker of the House

Natalia Boise    by Anna Reid

Natalia, who is from Livingston’s Park High, is running for Speaker of the House; she is also a proud member of the Rhinoceros Party of Canada. Natalia says that she would make a good Speaker of the House because she is organized, extremely dedicated to the Youth Legislature Program, and can speak well in public. She is a junior who has attended Youth in Government for all three years of her high school career. When asked to describe her personality Natalia said that she is “unique, funny, and confident”. A reason to vote for Natalia as your next Speaker of the House is because she is “a legitimate candidate who is extremely dedicated to Youth in Government”. If elected, Natalia says that she will not only make Youth in Government fun, but also make sure that everyone in the House gets a chance to express their views on legislation, instead of only a few people being able to speak.

 Greer Wagner

By Laura Brown

Greer Wagner is running for Speaker of the House and feels confident about her current stance in her campaign. I asked a few questions to try to get a better understanding of her reasons for running and this is what she said.

Q. What is your political affiliation?

GW. The Paris Hilton Party with Sean Downey.

Q. What is the founding principle of your party?

GW. The founding principle is to make sure to use everyone’s ideas and merge them together. We don’t want two distinct parties; we want to have equality in the Government. Everyone says what they want to say then we merge the ideas together so it’s good for everyone.

Q. What makes you a good candidate for Secretary of State?

GW. I have done speech and debate for two years. I am organized, yet not overbearing or bossy. The purpose of Youth in Government is to give people a better understanding of the Government and how is works and I believe that I can help with that. I believe that I do a great job putting everyone’s ideas together so that there is equality in the party.

Q. Describe your personality in three words.

GW. Confident, cool, and collected.

Q. Is there anything else you would like to say?

GW. I encourage everyone to vote for me because there is a lot of pressure being Secretary of State and I can handle stress in a cool collected fashion. I wish the best of luck to my opponent (Natalia Boise).

President of the Senate

 Forrest Reinhart      by Anna Reid

Forrest Reinhart, a “spunky” junior from Gardiner, is seeking your vote for President of the Senate.  He is running as an Independent in hopes to appeal to a wide range of voters. Forrest has been in the Youth in Government program for three years. The fact that Forrest is experienced, as well as his abilities to communicate effectively makes him the perfect candidate for President of the Senate. He wants to make sure that the Senate is not only productive, but also fun for everyone. Forrest describes himself as occasionally spontaneous and says that he loves dogs. As a bonus, Forrest has also been officially endorsed by the Chief Justice, Rose Cote, as well as the Editor of the Newspaper, Anna Reid.  If he were elected, Forrest said that his main goal would be to make sure that everyone’s bill gets a chance to be heard and voted on in the Senate, because “more often than not many bills do not even make it to the House or Senate floor”. When asked to give a message to potential voters Forrest said “Vote for me. Pretty Please.”

Logan Schuelke  by Haley McClure

Logan Schuelke, a junior from Butte High, is running for President of the Senate. He wants to encourage people to vote without party guidelines. Also, he wants to have the Youth Legislature program be fun while serious. Logan’s wise and uplifting quote came from the words of Dwight S. “Whenever I’m about to do something, I ask myself if an idiot would do this, if the answer is yes than I don’t do it.” Logan represents the Super Dance Party Party. The parties’ views are pro-awesome/pro-Canadian.

Chief Justice

Austin Dreyer    by Haley McClure

Austin Dryer from Gardiner High School is running for the position of Chief Justice, he is from the rhinoceros party. He has high hopes for the program and is very enthusiastic about the positive changes he could make. As an elected official he hopes to turn around the Justice program by spreading more awareness, and eliminating a large amount of confusion.  His goal is to outline the jobs of the attorneys and justices, before the conference. Also, he wants the attorneys to be able to know what their arguments and opponents before hand so there is less confusion. He is excited about what the Justice program could be. His uplifting quote of the day is “ giving money and power to the government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.”

Josh Harris   by Anna Reid

Josh, a Republican from Dillon, is running for the position of Chief Justice. He has had two years of experience in the Court Program, and says that has helped him learn how to “get things done” in the Justice Building. Josh likes the Court Program for its organization and balance. He described his own personality as “quiet”, although there are those who would strongly disagree with that statement.  If you are looking to vote for a nice guy, with experience in the Justice Building, and an open mind for their next Chief Justice, then Josh is the one for you. Upon his election, Josh says that he will recruit more Justices and Attorneys in the court program next year, and make the program much “friendlier”.

Secretary of State

Rose Cote    by Laura Brown

Chief Justice Rose Cote has high hopes for this year’s Youth in Government. She states, “I am pumped to be Chief Justice. I really think everyone is going to have an excellent time here!” When asked about her running for Secretary of state she said, “I am organized and really excited to do a really good job!” I asked her about her political affiliation and she stated “Democrat” without any hesitation. Three words she used to describe herself were: enjoyable, organized, and sexy. When asked if she had anything else to say to the YIG of 2012, she exclaimed, “I would like someone else to run (for Secretary of State) because it’s boring and because I’m qualified enough to win anyway.” All the best to you Rose Cote!

Governor & Lt. Governor

Gabe Chilson and Boyd Jenne    by Haley McClure

Together this dynamic duo is running for Governor and Lieutenant Governor. Gabe, from the Republican Party, who is running for Governor said, “It’s hard to find words to describe the passion I have for this program.” Together the two hope to bring a fun but serious and educational atmosphere to the program. Boyd, who is running for Lieutenant Governor, said “ I’m a veteran, but the program is still fun!” They hope to get more people involved with Youth Legislature by making it a fun, exciting, and welcoming atmosphere for every person.

Abigail Wheeler and Jace Kuntz     by Nile Gannon

Jace Kuntz and Abigail Wheeler- Governor and Lt. Governor

What delegation are you with?

Kuntz: Dillon.

Wheeler: Butte High.

How many years have you been in the program?

Wheeler: Second year.

Kuntz: Second year also.

Which year in school are you?

Wheeler: Junior.

Kuntz: Sophomore.

What political affiliation will you be running under?

Kuntz: We hope our campaign will not focus on a political party and more about our beliefs

Where would you place your political beliefs?

Kuntz: Conservative.

Do you have comments on the deficit?

Kuntz: I believe the creation of jobs to be important to the economy, but we need to stop giving handouts to those that don’t have the need.

Wheeler: I agree.

Any other strong political beliefs?

Kuntz:  I feel the need for stronger support for agriculture.  One farmer feeds 150 people which is his responsibility.  I believe we need greater respect for our agricultural community.

Kuntz, how do you plan to get votes from your delegation when there is another Gov./Lt. Gov. team from Dillon?

Kuntz:  I hope our delegation realizes our leadership abilities and I hope to individually go talk to the delegation.  They know us but don’t know our campaign or what we are running for. 

What are some more general campaign strategies?

Kuntz: We would like to make everybody welcome.  I remember first year being frightening hanging out with the old pros that have done this a bunch.  Just provide a good overall experience.

As two attorneys, do you have the know how to run the entire program which consists primarily of the legislative branch?

Wheeler: We both have a lot of experience leading and leading under pressure.  I am in the State Swim board so have learned Parli Pro.  We also plan to be well organized.

Kuntz: I have connections with people in the actual senate.  I have lead a lot under pressure and leadership skills from FFA and 4-H where I have held top leadership positions. 

Jack Gallacher and Charlie Mogan     by John Bennett

Charlie, a junior from Livingston, is running for Governor.  His running mate Jack is a junior from Butte.  For both of them this is their second year in Youth Legislature, and they are ready to valiantly take on the campaigning challenge of Governor and Lt. Governor.      

When asked for three words that best described him, Charlie answered, “intelligent, hardworking, and goodlistener (one word).”  Charlie also stated, “I can fix the US’s problems and make youth Leg better.”  When asked if he felt being part of the Park High delegation would hurt his campaign, Charlie answered, “I hope not, this is a different year and we are a whole new delegation.”

Jack wants to strive to make Youth Leg productive, and to have a good time.  When asked about the three words to best describe him, Jack answered, “awesome, amazing, and humble.”  He believes that America is a land of equal opportunity, and hopes to keep it that way.

Both Charlie Mogen and Jack Gallagher are competitive about running, and expect their competition will be as well.  They believe they can run a respectful campaign, and keep mudslinging out of the picture.  Charlie and Jack make a great team for Governor and Lt. Governor, and would like your vote in the upcoming elections.