Matt Rains for Montana

05/29/2026

https://jewishinsider.com/2026/05/montana-democrats-primary-u-s-israel-antisemitism-ryan-zinke/

My opponents have leaned heavily in their campaigns around ending aid to Israel because people are hurting at home. Ok. How much is total foreign aid to Israel? Foreign aid to Israel is $3.8B. That supports an ally we’ve had for almost 80 years. A country with 10% of the population of Iran and a sliver of the size. A country that vitally holds stability in one of the most war driven parts of the world. Where three continents join, endless wars have been fought for thousands of years until the mid-1900's. Hell, the only countries that really start major wars there now are the US and Russia.

Understanding and knowing the world first-hand cannot be trivialized. I hear a lot about money and votes being bought. That’s fear tactics. But inexperience DOES open up a candidate to relying on lobbyist for their voter decisions. The hundreds of decisions outside of Montana they will make and know nothing anything about. That’s where lobbyists have sway. Outside groups manipulate.

I think we can all agree that the news is beyond trustworthy anymore. Yet we still go around quoting it. Or YouTube videos we have no idea who made. Or Facebook clips.

If you want sound judgment, it doesn’t come from fancy words or donor advice. It comes from pure old-fashion experience. Real world experience.

Two of the four Democrats in the race have also faced scrutiny over antisemitic activity online

05/26/2026

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/05/16/north-carolina-democratic-farmer-jamie-ager-wants-win-back-rural-voters/

Really great article if you have a subscription. Glad to get a shout-out.

~From the article~

In Montana’s 1st District, at least two Democratic ranchers, including Matt Rains, are seeking departing Rep. Ryan Zinke’s (R) seat. Rains, a veteran who works on a ranch his family has run since the 1800s, said he doesn’t “really lean in to the national Democratic message that much.”

Instead, he talks about Democrats’ history in his state, invoking the creation of farm co-ops and measures that brought electric phones and fuel to small communities.
“We’ve always had rural Montanans’ best interests at heart,” he said. “It’s just a matter of putting that spotlight back on that fact.”

In North Carolina, Jamie Ager is distancing himself from his national party to win a congressional seat.

05/25/2026

Memorial Day

I hope everyone is having the best of holidays.

I wanted to take a moment to pay tribute to all of those that sacrificed in war and those that carried the scars of war to the end.

Having served in war in Iraq, you can never replicate the weight of living 24/7 in an environment where death is a constant reality.

Our World Wars gave us the greatest generation. Those that died and those that fought almost endlessly witnessing the death of those around them. Of the enemy. Other soldiers fighting for ideals they also believed in.

I had the most incredible of grand-fathers. Doug Dear fought in WWII in the North African invasions. He was part of the amphibious assaults. The first boots on the ground in hostile territory.

When I was about to leave for West Point, he pulled me aside and tried to tell me of war. His war. Sixty years later, those scars were so deep, he couldn’t. Just cried and said he was sorry and proud of me.

I wish I’d pushed him to tell me of those scars. He passed away a few months later.

My Team Leader at West Point was an incredible Montanan. Military ran through his veins and he loved to lead. He died in Iraq by a road-side bomb.

At West Point, when a graduate passes away, at Taps, thousands of cadets put on their full-dress uniforms… silently leave their rooms, walk out to the parade field… line up… and salute to Taps for their fallen fellow West Pointer. And in silence return back to their rooms. The most honorable of tributes. A reminder for all of us the weight of our commitment.

For Montana, 10% of this state are veterans. That means almost all of us are directly tied to our armed services. Too many of us have lost someone in our family.

This day honors the pain we’ve all witnessed, carried, and / or felt for those called to defend this democracy.

05/20/2026

I want to say that I’m humbled and excited by this polling. I’m not sure how many years it’s been since a democrat has polled ahead of a republican in a congressional race in Montana. That is HUGE!

For those that ask about the “where are the rest”?

1) our campaign had no input on this polling, so no idea why they chose Sam.
2) the purpose of the polling wasn’t about candidates, it was about identifying if there’s a statistical difference between progressive democrats and moderate democrats in this race (MT-01) in the general election.
3) my assumption is that you could swap the three progressive candidates and see fairly similar results - but how I polled vs. Aaron Flint is independent of those results regardless.

05/13/2026

This much has been clear.

As most Americans, and Montanans struggle to get by, this administration has shown that they do not care.

Unacceptable behavior and rhetoric. We deserve better and we will flip this seat in November

05/12/2026

Anyone who says elections don't matter, isn't paying attention!

Everyday Montanans are getting the short end of the stick. At the grocery store, in the housing market and at the gas pump.

Check out our new ad and join me in standing up for Montana and fighting back!

05/04/2026

It was great to sit down with Montana Public Radio and talk about my campaign and the priorities that I’m focused on.

Give it a listen here:

MTPR is airing interviews with candidates running for federal office in 2026. MTPR’s Austin Amestoy spoke with Matt Rains, who’s a Democrat running for the western U.S. House seat.

04/30/2026

When I talk to folks about what it means to be a Montanan, it is hard to put into words. My family ranch has been here since the 1800s. I was born here, I went to public school here. I was a Montana cadet at West Point and a Montana soldier in my military service. Montana is in my DNA and I plan to give back and fight for this place when I’m in Washington.

Our way of life is under attack, and we risk our greatest export becoming the next generation and that is unacceptable.

04/28/2026

We had a new foal born last night and she was struggling with health issues. After numerous vet visits I got back to the barn and my wife Whitney caught these photos. A scary night with very little sleep but back on the road to Bozeman for the Forward Montana forum this evening

04/26/2026

I first swore an oath to this country when I was 18 years old and I’ve felt a call to service ever since. Trump’s reckless Iran war has put our brave service members in harm’s way and is raising gas prices here at home while working Montanans are struggling just to get by.

Our farmers and ranchers are heading into their spring fields knowing their profit margins are being decimated before the first tractor is fired up.

With a foundation of graduating from West Point - our nation’s premiere university based completely around leadership development - and having been an officer in a war zone, I know firsthand the consequences of the sh*t-show we’ve put ourselves and the Middle East in.

We can and must stand up to this.