Big Sky Times

Helena resident Wendie Fredrickson is running for the U.S. Senate on the Green Party ticket, a seat currently held by Republican Steve Daines. 

Her platform focuses on transparency and accountability in government, promotion of Montana’s products, providing increased support for first responders and improving health care coverage.

Frederickson is a former auditor for Montana who left her position in 2014. She told the Helena Independent Record in 2016 that she left after being bullied by state officials in fall 2014 after speaking up about potentially fraudulent payments made to undocumented welfare recipients on Fort Belknap Native American reservation.

This may have informed part of her platform – her main issue is a focus on accountability of the use of federal taxpayer dollars.

“Under the current Montana administration program, financial audits have decreased and/or been eliminated allowing the misuse of funds; such as the use of USDA funds for HHS programs,” Fredrickson says on her website.

She also notes that although Montana grain farmers don’t typically use Roundup within weeks of harvest, the processing includes addition of preservatives in the flour to extend its shelf life. “I support local producers of all varieties that make and sell wholesome, natural Montana products,” she wrote.

She also calls for proactive support for rural fire departments and ambulances, incentives for those who are willing to volunteer and protect others. She also supports the sale of health insurance across state lines, reducing health care costs and prescription drug prices, and an investigation into why Medicare and Medicaid allow different medical procedures based on where someone lives.  

“These federal programs should allow a patient to have the same surgeries regardless of which state you live in,” Fredrickson wrote on her campaign website [wendiefredrickson.com].

On her campaign website, the candidate accused Gov. Steve Bullock, the Democratic Senate candidate, of creating a “hostile work environment  of a place I had enjoyed working two decades, and [who] actively intimidated or fired employees who raised concerns about taxpayer dollars.”