Wins election in Liberal Bastion of Helena

From Eric Dondero:

House District 77 has been a key battleground for Democrats and Republicans in Montana for years. The District stretches from the southern suburbs of the ultra-liberal State Capitol of Helena to the rugged conservative environs of Boulder 40 miles south.

Scott Mendenhall, a Christian libertarian, has held the seat for 4-terms. But in 2008 he barely won with 23 votes.

Now the GOP has held the seat with a wider margin.

Bar Owner Rep.-elect Wants to loosen anti-Drinking Laws

From the Helena Independent-Record:

in a tightly fought race for HD 77, Republican Alan Hale was leading Democrat Sheila Hogan , 2,553 to 2,159.

Both are political newcomers, running for the seat previously held by Scott Mendenhall.

This is the first run for office for Hale, who owns a bar in Basin with his wife. He also works road construction and is laid off from a job with Montana Tunnels mine, which has been closed for a couple of years.

“Well, I’m ecstatic,” Hale said. “When I started all this process, my main goal was to create jobs – no, to get government out of industry to create jobs. If we can get industry up and running, our economy will be great, and all our children can enjoy their lives here in Montana. I would like to add my first priority is to get the budget straightened up, the second is to look at regulations to see what we can do to get industries going in the state.”

Hale appears to have a libertarian streak on over-regulation of bars and taverns. Continuing:

Hale spoke out in an earlier IR interview, favoring reducing regulations and taxes to make Montana more appealing for mining, logging and drilling for oil and gas.

Hale also spoke out against tough DUI penalties, particularly when they involve young people, saying stiff penalties have ruined a lot of young people’s lives.

Hale is also a staunch defender of the 2nd Amendment and a believer in State Sovereignty and the 10th Amendment.