Guest opinion: Why this Senate election matters for Montana

Daily Inter Lake is a local-news publisher, but this is a clearly attributed guest opinion rather than independently reported journalism. The author’s identity and former office are stated.

• ▸Source type — Established local-news publisher; the source type supports a moderate-to-good credibility assessment.
• ▸Author attribution — The piece is attributed to Steve Bullock and identifies his former office.
• ▸Editorial standards — The guest-opinion format is transparent, though it is not evidence of independent reporting.

The piece presents a clear, attributable argument grounded in Bullock’s conversations and political experience, but it relies on one perspective and offers little independent evidence or response from the candidates.

This guest opinion advances Bullock’s endorsement and critiques the other candidates without presenting their responses or an opposing perspective.

• ▸Opinion vs reporting — The piece is explicitly a guest opinion and argues for a particular candidate.
• ▸Counterarguments presented — The candidates’ own explanations or responses are not included.
• ▸Source diversity — The argument relies on Bullock’s account and judgment.

The author criticizes Alme’s expected positions on wars, taxes, debt and public lands, while making a case for Bodnar and against Bankhead. The piece is an openly argued endorsement rather than neutral coverage.

• ▸Framing — The article urges readers to choose Bodnar and presents Alme as an unsuitable senator.
• ▸Language tone — It uses strongly critical descriptions of Alme’s expected conduct and Bankhead’s campaign.
• ▸Source selection — The article offers Bullock’s view without responses from the candidates.