I’m Rep. Connie Keogh, and I am currently serving in House District 91. It’s my honor and privilege to run for election in the newly drawn HD 92, which includes rural parts of Missoula County and up to Condon on Highway 83. Thank you for this opportunity to introduce myself and to discuss what we need to do this next legislative session.
It has been my pleasure to get to know my opponent, Ted Morgan. He has impressed me with his enthusiasm and energy, as well as his willingness to get involved in his community upon his arrival here. I’ve been intrigued by his many ideas to support the Condon community, and I look forward to the opportunity to continue to explore these with him in the future.
Here are a few things that you might not know about me. I grew up on a ranch in south central Montana that my great grandfather homesteaded in 1892, much like many of the ranches in HD 92. I learned at a young age that if there was a job to do, just do it. My dad instilled that in me. Sometimes that meant milking the cows before school or riding all day, often when my dad was making ends meet by shearing sheep or guiding hunters. My mom ran a business in an unincorporated community, and I witnessed first-hand the difficulties of keeping our small communities vibrant.
I attended a two-room grade school through eighth grade, and graduated from high school with 20 in my class. After marrying, my husband and I ranched on the family ranch nearby and later managed a ranch in remote Colorado and Utah. My professional career has been as an educator working as an elementary and special education teacher and most recently, until my retirement, working with students that were becoming teachers. I grew up in rural Montana, and have lived, worked and played in rural places most of my life. I’ve worked on clean energy and conservation campaigns across Montana. I’m a mom and a grandmother, and I’m grateful to live in Missoula County to be near my family.
Currently I represent a densely populated district, and my votes always reflect what my constituents want and deserve. The same will be true in this newly drawn legislative district. I will represent the issues and concerns of my constituents. That’s representative democracy, and simply who I am.
Having grown up in small, rural communities, I understand constituents’ needs when it comes to jobs, education, healthcare and protecting our clean places to hunt, fish, hike and camp. So I’ll continue to show up and do my best as a legislator to listen to my constituents and reflect their values and concerns. I’ll represent all of HD 92 by working across the aisle, and listening to all.
The recent redistricting will allow for more opportunities for reasonable dialogue to more accurately reflect the population changes in the state, and I’m looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and doing the work that didn’t get done last session.
Last legislative session, lawmakers missed a golden opportunity to use a $2.5 billion budget surplus to cut property taxes for homeowners who faced higher values on their property and homes because of a changing Montana. Previous governors and legislators on both sides of the aisle worked together to simply cut the residential property tax rate when residential property values skyrocketed. Since the covid-19 crisis and because of out-of-state housing demand, homeowners have seen huge increases in the value of their property and cost of housing. That’s why we need to work hard on a fair tax system, one that doesn’t put a larger and larger burden on homeowners and renters. I’m hopeful as I look at what is being proposed that we can shift the growing property tax burden away from residential property owners. The 2025 session will be a great opportunity to do things differently.
Our public school districts are in crisis, and our school funding formula needs to be fixed to ensure that all Montana students have access to a quality public education. We can work together to ensure that our schools have adequate resources to educate our students, and that teachers can be recruited and retained. A quality public education is the foundation of our democracy and good for our economy.
Continuing basic healthcare like Medicaid will be a priority during the 2025 session. Why? Because it will ensure that a significant portion of our population has access to quality, affordable healthcare and can continue working and raising their families. Nearly half of Montanans covered by Medicaid are currently from small towns, and Medicaid will continue to keep hospitals and health clinics open and accessible in our rural communities, and also supply workers for our businesses.
We’ve got a lot of work to do on affordable workforce housing, protecting our public lands and wildlife and ensuring our constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment. And you can bet that I’ll fight to protect your freedoms and right to privacy. That’s the Montana way.
I’m ready with my experience and my background. I’m grateful to be a Montanan. I’ll continue to fight to preserve and expand your rights and liberties.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and concerns as we work together to continue to make Montana the best state in the country to live, work and raise a family.
Please email me at keoghforhd92@gmail.com with any questions.
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