{"id":11213,"date":"2026-04-23T08:33:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T08:33:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/04\/23\/flint-sells-populist-view-during-gop-debate-olszewski-says-federal-government-the-issue-daily-montanan\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T08:33:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T08:33:40","slug":"flint-sells-populist-view-during-gop-debate-olszewski-says-federal-government-the-issue-daily-montanan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/04\/23\/flint-sells-populist-view-during-gop-debate-olszewski-says-federal-government-the-issue-daily-montanan\/","title":{"rendered":"Flint sells populist view during GOP debate, Olszewski says federal government the issue – Daily Montanan"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/i> Dr. Al Olszewski, left, listens as Aaron Flint speaks during the Montana GOP primary debate for the state’s western congressional district on Tuesday, April 21 in Bozeman. (Jordan Hansen \/ Daily Montanan)
BOZEMAN \u2014 For an hour-and-a-half during a Tuesday night Republican primary debate, Aaron Flint, a former talk show radio host running for the state\u2019s Western Congressional district, sounded like he was back on the air.\u00a0<\/span>
Flint debated Dr. Al Olszewski, the only other Republican running for the seat who participated at the Calvary Chapel in Bozeman. Current Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen \u2014 who is also running for the seat \u2014 did not attend the event, nor did Ray Curtis.<\/span>
Instead, Flint took the microphone and sold himself as the Donald J. Trump-endorsed candidate who will fight for the common Montanan. Flint mentioned the current president almost two dozen times during the 90-minute debate, specifically referencing the endorsement seven times, and seems to be using a similar populist appeal that put Trump in office twice.<\/span>
Weaving in jabs at Olszewski\u2019s views on healthcare and Iran, Flint also told the audience that the longtime Flathead Republican was his friend and even said \u201clove you brother\u201d at one point during the debate.<\/span>
Olszewski \u2014 as well as Senate President Matt Regier, who moderated the debate \u2014 were both frequent guests on Flint\u2019s radio show, Montana Talks. Olszewski pointed to his 29 years in the district during the debate and said he was running because interference from the federal government is an issue.<\/span>
\u201cI fundamentally believe that our federal government and our state government is one of the reasons that we are having the troubles that we\u2019re having,\u201d Olszewski said. \u201cThere is a fundamental overreach of the federal government and of the state government, and whether it’s through taxes or regulation, they are keeping us from being more free. They’re keeping us from being able to really promote our families, and they’re keeping us from making things more affordable.\u201d<\/span>
By the end of the debate, Olszewski agreed with most of Flint\u2019s positions with few exceptions.<\/span>
From the jump, Flint stayed crisp in his delivery, fitting stories and points in short segments reminiscent of his radio show.<\/span>
Calling the seat \u201ccritical\u201d \u2014 and casting himself as a similar candidate to U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy, a fellow military veteran \u2014 he said America needs fighters. Olszewski spoke at length about how the federal government is out-of-touch with states.<\/span>
Flint said Democrats and \u201cfar left socialists\u201d are coming for Montana jobs, guns and freedoms and that Republican candidates are the only choice to avoid America disintegrating. He added that \u201cright now\u201d people need \u201cto decide whether this country remains a free Republic for another 250 years, or whether we go in another direction altogether.\u201d<\/span>
Trump, in fact, has been criticized for pushing the country to more authoritarian rule, with millions across the country <\/span>attending \u201cNo Kings\u201d rallies built entirely on that premise<\/span><\/a>. However,\u00a0 Flint shifted the blame on the country\u2019s problems to the Democrats, saying they\u2019re the reason for the poor economy, increases in crime, and he accused the party of trying to flood the ballot box with a rush of immigrants from other countries.\u00a0<\/span>
During the debate, Flint zeroed in on a popular target from his radio days, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, as he purposely mispronounced her first name, which drew laughs from the crowd during the event, as he said her name three times in rapid succession, overpronouncing her first name.\u00a0<\/span>
Flint gave a full-throated endorsement of resource extraction, mentioning closed logging mills and potential mining areas, <\/span>such as one near Libby<\/span><\/a>, that have been the target of <\/span>massive public meetings and significant political debate<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>
\u201cThese far left extremists think they can get a foothold in western Montana and take the entire state down with it,\u201d Flint said. \u201cAnd you know what they’re going to do? They’re going to tear down the dams, they’re going to push gun control. They’re going to try to flood the borders again. And they sure won’t allow the president of the United States to deport the criminal illegal aliens who invaded this country.\u201d<\/span>
He also questioned why union members who are Democrats hadn\u2019t been in support of mining jobs, <\/span>specifically in the case of the Sibanye Stillwater mine<\/span><\/a>. That mine produces palladium, which, among many applications, is used in catalytic converters. Russia also produces the most of any country.<\/span>
Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, exporters there dumped their supplies of the mineral, forcing the Stillwater mine to cut 700 jobs, according to the U.S. Government. Flint blamed former U.S. President Joe Biden for this, saying he has a cousin that works at the mine.<\/span>
\u201cBecause of Joe Biden’s green energy mandates, green EV mandates, and then on top of that, Joe Biden and the Democrats allowed the Russians to dump palladium into the U.S. market, killing 700 mining jobs in Montana, and then using our money to kill people in Ukraine,\u201d Flint said.<\/span>
Olszewski said he wants to see natural resource jobs, but done so in a way that is both safe and good for the communities those areas are around.<\/span>
\u201cWe need to unlock the treasures that we have in all of Western Montana counties, and that is natural resource jobs,\u201d Olszewski said. \u201cBut if we’re going to have natural resource jobs, we have to make sure that we’re doing it in a 21st Century sustainable way. We got to make sure that those who are doing it are good stewards of our environment and create good, safe working environments.\u201d<\/span>
Both candidates harped on, \u201cwaste, fraud and abuse,\u201d with Flint especially focusing on the U.S. Agency for International Development, which is generally regarded as America\u2019s \u201csoft power\u201d arm for pushing the country\u2019s interests in foreign nations.\u00a0<\/span>
Republicans have accused the foreign aid programs of essentially being a money laundering operation and <\/span>even going so far as to say<\/span><\/a> it was involved with the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/span>
\u201cThe money that\u2019s being sent overseas was being used to go directly against American interests. So very clearly there are cuts that need to be made,\u201d Flint said.<\/span>
Flint also said that the country can\u2019t cut its way out of the national debt.<\/span>
\u201cWe’ve also got to grow our way out of this problem,\u201d he said.<\/span>
Trades jobs, in his eyes, will solve that problem, and both candidates on the stage advocated for dismantling the Department of Education further, a priority of the Trump administration.<\/span>
\u201cI was at the Montana knife company about a month ago in Missoula. He’s got 120 employees and hired a high school kid in Missoula in 2020,\u201d Flint said. \u201cThat kid\u2019s now making six figures. No student loan debt, no college degree, that’s what we want to see right here in Montana.\u201d<\/span>
Olszewski pointed to his Montana Legislative experience \u2013 he was in both the House and Senate \u2013 as a reason to vote for him. He also was critical of the Iran war, but said he trusted Trump knew what he was doing.<\/span>
\u201cI’m not so happy with what’s going on in the Iran war,\u201d Olszewski said. \u201cYou know, I’m not a warrior. I’m a physician from the military that fixed military people who didn’t come back from war whole. And that’s the problem with war. That’s what my perspective is, is that countries can win wars, but people do not.\u201d<\/span>
Flint, also a veteran, in response pointed <\/span>to a Bozeman Chronicle article<\/span><\/a> where Olszewski said he\u2019d support moves by Congress to give it a greater say in whether the U.S. goes to war, including potentially modifying the War Powers Resolution of 1973.<\/span>
Flint said Olszewski appeared to be \u201cseriously undermining President Trump\u201d in the middle of the negotiations.<\/span>
\u201cIn fact, your comments seemed so anti-Trump and undermining the Commander in Chief, that in the comments in the section, most of the people thought you were a Democrat, and they were accusing you of Trump derangement syndrome,\u201d Flint said. \u201cI almost wanted to jump in and say, \u2018No, he’s my friend, he’s a Republican.\u2019\u201d<\/span>
Montana\u2019s primaries are slated for June 2. <\/span>
by Jordan Hansen, Daily Montanan<\/a>
April 22, 2026
by Jordan Hansen, Daily Montanan<\/a>
April 22, 2026
BOZEMAN \u2014 For an hour-and-a-half during a Tuesday night Republican primary debate, Aaron Flint, a former talk show radio host running for the state\u2019s Western Congressional district, sounded like he was back on the air.\u00a0
Flint debated Dr. Al Olszewski, the only other Republican running for the seat who participated at the Calvary Chapel in Bozeman. Current Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen \u2014 who is also running for the seat \u2014 did not attend the event, nor did Ray Curtis.
Instead, Flint took the microphone and sold himself as the Donald J. Trump-endorsed candidate who will fight for the common Montanan. Flint mentioned the current president almost two dozen times during the 90-minute debate, specifically referencing the endorsement seven times, and seems to be using a similar populist appeal that put Trump in office twice.
Weaving in jabs at Olszewski\u2019s views on healthcare and Iran, Flint also told the audience that the longtime Flathead Republican was his friend and even said \u201clove you brother\u201d at one point during the debate.
Olszewski \u2014 as well as Senate President Matt Regier, who moderated the debate \u2014 were both frequent guests on Flint\u2019s radio show, Montana Talks. Olszewski pointed to his 29 years in the district during the debate and said he was running because interference from the federal government is an issue.
\u201cI fundamentally believe that our federal government and our state government is one of the reasons that we are having the troubles that we\u2019re having,\u201d Olszewski said. \u201cThere is a fundamental overreach of the federal government and of the state government, and whether it’s through taxes or regulation, they are keeping us from being more free. They’re keeping us from being able to really promote our families, and they’re keeping us from making things more affordable.\u201d
By the end of the debate, Olszewski agreed with most of Flint\u2019s positions with few exceptions.
From the jump, Flint stayed crisp in his delivery, fitting stories and points in short segments reminiscent of his radio show.
Calling the seat \u201ccritical\u201d \u2014 and casting himself as a similar candidate to U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy, a fellow military veteran \u2014 he said America needs fighters. Olszewski spoke at length about how the federal government is out-of-touch with states.
Flint said Democrats and \u201cfar left socialists\u201d are coming for Montana jobs, guns and freedoms and that Republican candidates are the only choice to avoid America disintegrating. He added that \u201cright now\u201d people need \u201cto decide whether this country remains a free Republic for another 250 years, or whether we go in another direction altogether.\u201d
Trump, in fact, has been criticized for pushing the country to more authoritarian rule, with millions across the country attending \u201cNo Kings\u201d rallies built entirely on that premise<\/a>. However,\u00a0 Flint shifted the blame on the country\u2019s problems to the Democrats, saying they\u2019re the reason for the poor economy, increases in crime, and he accused the party of trying to flood the ballot box with a rush of immigrants from other countries.\u00a0
During the debate, Flint zeroed in on a popular target from his radio days, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, as he purposely mispronounced her first name, which drew laughs from the crowd during the event, as he said her name three times in rapid succession, overpronouncing her first name.\u00a0
Flint gave a full-throated endorsement of resource extraction, mentioning closed logging mills and potential mining areas, such as one near Libby<\/a>, that have been the target of massive public meetings and significant political debate<\/a>.
\u201cThese far left extremists think they can get a foothold in western Montana and take the entire state down with it,\u201d Flint said. \u201cAnd you know what they’re going to do? They’re going to tear down the dams, they’re going to push gun control. They’re going to try to flood the borders again. And they sure won’t allow the president of the United States to deport the criminal illegal aliens who invaded this country.\u201d
He also questioned why union members who are Democrats hadn\u2019t been in support of mining jobs, specifically in the case of the Sibanye Stillwater mine<\/a>. That mine produces palladium, which, among many applications, is used in catalytic converters. Russia also produces the most of any country.
Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, exporters there dumped their supplies of the mineral, forcing the Stillwater mine to cut 700 jobs, according to the U.S. Government. Flint blamed former U.S. President Joe Biden for this, saying he has a cousin that works at the mine.
\u201cBecause of Joe Biden’s green energy mandates, green EV mandates, and then on top of that, Joe Biden and the Democrats allowed the Russians to dump palladium into the U.S. market, killing 700 mining jobs in Montana, and then using our money to kill people in Ukraine,\u201d Flint said.
Olszewski said he wants to see natural resource jobs, but done so in a way that is both safe and good for the communities those areas are around.
\u201cWe need to unlock the treasures that we have in all of Western Montana counties, and that is natural resource jobs,\u201d Olszewski said. \u201cBut if we’re going to have natural resource jobs, we have to make sure that we’re doing it in a 21st Century sustainable way. We got to make sure that those who are doing it are good stewards of our environment and create good, safe working environments.\u201d
Both candidates harped on, \u201cwaste, fraud and abuse,\u201d with Flint especially focusing on the U.S. Agency for International Development, which is generally regarded as America\u2019s \u201csoft power\u201d arm for pushing the country\u2019s interests in foreign nations.\u00a0
Republicans have accused the foreign aid programs of essentially being a money laundering operation and even going so far as to say<\/a> it was involved with the COVID-19 pandemic.
\u201cThe money that\u2019s being sent overseas was being used to go directly against American interests. So very clearly there are cuts that need to be made,\u201d Flint said.
Flint also said that the country can\u2019t cut its way out of the national debt.
\u201cWe’ve also got to grow our way out of this problem,\u201d he said.
Trades jobs, in his eyes, will solve that problem, and both candidates on the stage advocated for dismantling the Department of Education further, a priority of the Trump administration.
\u201cI was at the Montana knife company about a month ago in Missoula. He’s got 120 employees and hired a high school kid in Missoula in 2020,\u201d Flint said. \u201cThat kid\u2019s now making six figures. No student loan debt, no college degree, that’s what we want to see right here in Montana.\u201d
Olszewski pointed to his Montana Legislative experience \u2013 he was in both the House and Senate \u2013 as a reason to vote for him. He also was critical of the Iran war, but said he trusted Trump knew what he was doing.
\u201cI’m not so happy with what’s going on in the Iran war,\u201d Olszewski said. \u201cYou know, I’m not a warrior. I’m a physician from the military that fixed military people who didn’t come back from war whole. And that’s the problem with war. That’s what my perspective is, is that countries can win wars, but people do not.\u201d
Flint, also a veteran, in response pointed to a Bozeman Chronicle article<\/a> where Olszewski said he\u2019d support moves by Congress to give it a greater say in whether the U.S. goes to war, including potentially modifying the War Powers Resolution of 1973.
Flint said Olszewski appeared to be \u201cseriously undermining President Trump\u201d in the middle of the negotiations.
\u201cIn fact, your comments seemed so anti-Trump and undermining the Commander in Chief, that in the comments in the section, most of the people thought you were a Democrat, and they were accusing you of Trump derangement syndrome,\u201d Flint said. \u201cI almost wanted to jump in and say, \u2018No, he’s my friend, he’s a Republican.\u2019\u201d
Montana\u2019s primaries are slated for June 2.
Daily Montanan<\/a> is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Daily Montanan maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Darrell Ehrlick for questions: info@dailymontanan.com<\/a>.
\t\t\t\t\tOur stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. AP and Getty images may not be republished. Please see our republishing guidelines<\/a> for use of any other photos and graphics.\t\t\t\t
Jordan Hansen is a reporter with the Daily Montanan, covering state politics, transportation and agriculture. Jordan was previously a reporter at the Everett Herald, Missoulian and the Montana Standard.
Daily Montanan is part of States Newsroom<\/a>, the nation\u2019s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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Dr. Al Olszewski, left, listens as Aaron Flint speaks during the Montana GOP primary debate for the state’s western congressional district on Tuesday, April 21 in Bozeman. (Jordan Hansen \/ Daily Montanan)BOZEMAN \u2014 For an hour-and-a-half during a Tuesday night Republican primary debate, Aaron Flint, a former talk show radio host running for the state\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11214,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-11213","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11213"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11213\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}