They Control the Government, But They Haven’t Controlled the Cost of Living

by Shawn White Wolf

They Control the Government, But They Haven’t Controlled the Cost of Living

Montana voters are practical people. They know the difference between a promise and a grocery receipt. They know the difference between a campaign slogan and a mortgage payment. They know the difference between a politician standing in front of a flag talking about freedom and a working family trying to figure out whether they can afford gas, rent, insurance, property taxes, and a trip to the doctor.

That is the political problem facing Montana Republicans in 2026.

For years, Republicans have held the strongest hand in Montana politics. They control the governor’s office. They control the Legislature. They control much of the state’s political machinery. They have had the authority, the votes, the messaging, the donors, and the power to shape Montana government according to their priorities.

So the fair question for voters is simple: if Republicans have been in charge, why is life still so expensive?

That question is not partisan trickery. It is not some fancy Washington talking point. It is the question a working person asks while standing at the gas pump. It is the question a renter asks when the lease renewal comes in higher than last year. It is the question a young family asks after looking at home prices and realizing that the Montana dream is getting farther away, not closer. It is the question an older homeowner asks when taxes, insurance, utilities, and medical bills keep squeezing a fixed income.

Montana Republicans will argue they have acted. To be fair, they have a case to make. The state has changed its property tax structure to give lower rates to primary residences and long-term rentals while shifting more of the burden toward second homes, short-term rentals, and other properties. That is not nothing. For many homeowners, property tax relief matters. It can be real money. It can help seniors stay in their homes. It can give families some breathing room.

But here is the hard truth: a tax cut does not mean much if the rest of life keeps getting more expensive.

A family does not live inside one line item. A working Montanan has to pay for the whole basket: housing, groceries, gas, child care, medicine, utilities, insurance, vehicle repairs, school supplies, and everything else that keeps a household moving. If one bill goes down but five others go up, people do not feel relief. They feel trapped.

That is why the Republican message has a weakness. They can point to specific policies and say, “We helped.” But voters can point to their own checkbooks and say, “Then why are we still falling behind?”

Housing may be the clearest example. Montana has become a place where too many working people can no longer afford the communities they serve. Teachers, health care workers, restaurant staff, construction workers, young families, retirees, and local employees are all feeling the squeeze. The people who make Montana function are being priced out of Montana life.

That should bother every voter, regardless of party.

The old Montana bargain was simple. You worked hard, lived modestly, helped your neighbors, and built a decent life. Maybe you did not get rich, but you could afford a roof, a truck that ran, groceries in the fridge, and a little dignity at the end of the month. That bargain is breaking down. Too many Montanans are now working full-time and still wondering why they feel poor.

Republicans cannot blame all of that on someone else. Yes, national inflation matters. Yes, federal policy matters. Yes, fuel prices, interest rates, and national economic trends hit Montana. But state government is not powerless. If state leaders want credit for every ribbon-cutting, every tax cut, every jobs announcement, and every campaign ad about prosperity, then they also have to accept responsibility when working families say prosperity is not reaching their kitchen table.

That is the burden of being in charge.

Republicans have been very good at cultural politics. They understand Montana’s language. They talk about freedom, land, guns, agriculture, small business, faith, family, law enforcement, and resisting federal overreach. That message connects with a lot of voters because it feels familiar. It sounds like Montana. It sounds like the way many people were raised.

But cultural comfort does not pay the electric bill.

A voter can agree with Republicans on guns and still wonder why rent is too high. A voter can distrust national Democrats and still question whether state Republicans have done enough. A voter can support traditional Montana values and still be angry that wages are not keeping up with housing. A voter can believe in limited government and still expect the people running government to produce results.

That is where the 2026 election may get interesting.

The average working-class voter may not suddenly become ideological. Most people are not sitting around reading party platforms over breakfast. They are asking practical questions. Can I afford my life? Can my kids stay in Montana? Can I buy a house? Can I retire here? Can I get medical care without going broke? Can I fill the tank without muttering words my grandmother would not approve of?

If the answer is no, then voters may think twice.

Not because they have become left-wing. Not because they love Democrats. Not because they trust every promise from the other side. They may think twice because life has become too expensive under the people currently holding power. At some point, voters stop asking who gave the better speech and start asking who had the keys to the truck when it went in the ditch.

But Democrats should not get too comfortable either.

The Democratic problem in Montana is just as real. Democrats can criticize Republicans for failing to control the cost of living, but criticism is not a plan. Pointing at Republican failures may open the door, but it does not walk through it. Voters still need to hear what Democrats would actually do differently.

And frankly, Democrats have not always made that clear.

Too often, Montana Democrats sound like they are reacting to Republicans instead of leading with a practical vision of their own. They talk about protecting democracy, defending rights, and opposing extremism. Those issues matter. But a working-class person who is short on rent may hear that and think, “Fine, but what about my paycheck? What about my grocery bill? What about my kid trying to buy a home?”

That is the gap Democrats must close.

If Democrats want working-class voters to take them seriously, they need a Montana-first quality-of-life plan that is plain, local, and measurable. Not academic. Not full of consultant language. Not copied from a national party memo. Montana voters can smell imported politics like smoke on a wool coat.

A real plan would have to talk about housing in a direct way. How do we build more homes regular people can afford? How do we support long-term rentals over short-term speculation? How do we keep local workers living in the towns where they work? How do we stop Montana from becoming a playground for wealth while working families get pushed to the edges?

A real plan would have to talk about wages. Not just jobs. Jobs are important, but a low-wage job in a high-cost state is not enough. Montana needs work that pays enough for people to live here. That means supporting trades, small businesses, local manufacturing, health care careers, technology, energy, agriculture, and workforce training tied to actual paychecks.

A real plan would have to talk about property taxes honestly. Homeowners need relief, but renters cannot be treated like an afterthought. If tax relief goes to landlords and never reaches tenants, then renters are left standing outside the deal. Democrats should be asking how tax policy can protect both homeowners and renters who are actually part of Montana communities.

A real plan would have to talk about health care. Medical costs are one of the biggest threats to working families and seniors. A household can do everything right and still get financially crushed by one diagnosis, one injury, one prescription, or one insurance problem. Any party that claims to care about working people has to care about health care affordability in real, practical terms.

A real plan would also have to talk about small towns. Montana is not just Bozeman, Missoula, Billings, Helena, Great Falls, and Kalispell. Rural communities need roads, clinics, broadband, schools, housing, fire protection, law enforcement, and local businesses that can survive. Working-class politics in Montana must include rural Montana, not treat it like scenery in a campaign ad.

That is where Democrats have an opportunity, but only if they stop talking like a national brand and start talking like neighbors.

The most effective message is not “Republicans are bad.” That is too easy and too shallow. The stronger message is: “Republicans have had control, and working Montanans are still struggling. Democrats now have a responsibility to offer a serious plan, not just complaints.”

That is a fair argument. It does not insult voters. It does not assume people are foolish for voting Republican. It respects the fact that many Montanans have supported Republicans for reasons they consider legitimate. It simply asks whether the results match the promises.

That is the conversation Montana should be having before November.

If Republicans want to keep governing, they should have to explain why their control has not produced a more affordable Montana for working people. They should have to explain why homeownership feels out of reach. They should have to explain why tax relief has not translated into broader household relief. They should have to explain how they plan to protect full-time Montana residents from being priced out by outside wealth, speculation, and rising costs.

And Democrats should have to explain what they would do differently. Not in vague terms. Not with speeches about hope. Hope is nice, but hope does not lower rent. Democrats need to put meat on the bone: housing, wages, health care, taxes, child care, energy, and rural services. They need to tell voters exactly how their ideas would make daily life better.

Working-class voters do not owe either party blind loyalty.

They owe their families honesty. They owe their communities common sense. They owe themselves the right to ask hard questions.

In 2026, the question is not whether Republicans can win Montana again. They absolutely can. They have the organization, the base, the money, and the cultural advantage. Anyone pretending otherwise is whistling past the graveyard.

The real question is whether working-class voters are satisfied with the results.

Because the cost of living is not theoretical. It is not partisan. It is not left or right. It is the price of eggs, gas, rent, health care, insurance, and housing. It is the quiet stress that follows people home from work. It is the reason young adults wonder if they have to leave Montana to build a future. It is the reason parents worry their children will never afford the town they grew up in.

Republicans have controlled the government, but they have not controlled the cost of living.

That does not automatically mean Democrats have earned the vote. They have not. They still need to prove they understand working people, rural communities, and the practical needs of Montana families. They need to offer more than criticism. They need to offer a governing plan that feels real enough to trust.

But voters are allowed to look at the people in charge and say: “You had the power. You made the promises. You told us your way would work. So why is life still too expensive?”

That question may not decide every race in November. But it should be asked in every county, every legislative district, every town hall, every debate, and every kitchen-table conversation across Montana.

Because when a party controls the government, it owns more than the title.

It owns the results.

[1]: https://ballotpedia.org/Party_control_of_Montana_state_government "Party control of Montana state government"

[2]: https://revenue.mt.gov/property/property-tax-changes/2026-property-tax-information "2026 Tax Information for Montana Property Owners"

[3]: https://www.zillow.com/home-values/35/mt/ "Montana Housing Market: 2026 Home Prices & Trends"