Kelly Kortum

Kelly Kortum lives in Bozeman, Montana. He earned a bachelor's degree from Montana State University in 2008. His career experience includes working in information technology. Kortum co-founded Gallatin Progressive Action Network.[1][2]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Kelly Kortum grew up in Ekalaka, a small agricultural community in southeastern Montana. His family was working class, as most are in our rural and frontier parts of the state, and Ekalaka’s strong community and neighborly culture made becoming a healthy adult all but inevitable. On his grandparents’ ranch, Kortum developed an appreciation of hard work as well as both the importance of self-reliance and having neighbors to call on. While in school and sports, he learned to value cooperation and teamwork. As a teenager, locals began calling him to help them with their computer troubles as his reputation as a friendly problem solver grew.

In the 2021 Legislative session, Kelly brought bills to protect our right to vote, improve internet access, and pay our workers a fair wage. He is running for re-election to ensure that the Montanan youth have the same (or better) opportunities to grow and thrive that he had growing up.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Healthcare is a human right. We have the means, as a country and state, to provide better health outcomes for our fellow Montanans. The health and happiness of our people are essential to the success of our state. Limiting access to a basic level of care is both cruel and unnecessary. Everyday Montanans should be able to keep their families healthy without worrying about crushing medical debt and bankruptcy.Montanans deserve to live in the community in which they work. Areas where housing is available and affordable have much better economic prospects than those with limited options. Our state must enact housing policy that fosters a vibrant community and strong economy.Voting is an essential right of all American citizens and we must exercise and defend that right to remain a free and democratic nation. Voting for our leaders and government is fundamental to properly ensuring opportunity, justice, and human progress. Efforts to restrict any citizen's ability to vote directly threatens our freedom, liberty, and shared future.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am very passionate about our right to vote, our right to privacy, and the infrastructure that ensures stable, prosperous communities (particularly internet infrastructure).

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I cut hay on my grandparents ranch during the summer, from age 15 to 18, when wildland firefighting lured me away.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Kelly Kortum grew up in Ekalaka, a small agricultural community in southeastern Montana. His family was working class, as most are in our rural parts of the state, and Ekalaka's strong community and neighborly culture made becoming a healthy adult all but inevitable. On his grandparents' ranch, Kortum developed an appreciation of hard work as well as both the importance of self-reliance and having neighbors to call on. While in school and sports, he learned to value cooperation and teamwork. As a teenager, locals began calling him to help them with their computer troubles as his reputation as a friendly problem solver grew.

After spending the first half of his life in Ekalaka, he moved to Bozeman to attend Montana State University and has not considered moving again. He quickly grew appreciative of Bozeman's growing technology scene, healthy local economy, and the diverse palette of cultural experiences that it provides. He works at Bozeman's Community Food Co-op as a Systems Administrator.

Kortum became involved in the day-to-day politics of Bozeman in the summer of 2015 when he became the volunteer website/communications director for the Gallatin County Democrats. He went on to attend every Democratic state convention since, and voted in the 2017 special election primary convention. His strong sense of fairness and ability to reach across any aisle has served him well in these roles and extended his reputation as a friendly problem solver into this part of the state.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Healthcare is a human right. We can improve our tools, as a country and state, to provide better health outcomes for our fellow Montanans. We should make use of these tools to increase the general health, happiness and well-being of our neighbors. Limiting access to a basic level of care is both cruel and unnecessary. Everyday Montanans should be able to keep their families healthy without worrying about crushing medical debt and bankruptcy.Voting is an essential right of all American citizens and we must exercise and defend that right to remain a free nation. Voting for our leaders and government is fundamental to properly ensuring opportunity, justice, and human progress. Efforts to suppress any citizen's voting rights directly threaten our freedom, liberty, and shared future.Providing all citizens a quality education is essential to having a successful and prosperous state and country - not to mention a right guaranteed to each person by our Montana Constitution. When we have the tools to make better decisions, we and our neighbors benefit. Public education is the best investment in America's future, so we must fund it accordingly. We should ensure that continued education doesn't bury our students in a lifetime of debt by supporting our universities and vocational schools.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Net neutrality is one of the most overlooked issues of our time. The Internet is an essential part of our economy, our education, and our daily lives. It was funded and created with public money and should be treated like our interstate highway system or our national parks: we all share the upkeep and we all can utilize its many benefits. Allowing a small number of people to extract or exploit this shared space will guarantee America falls behind the rest of the world in innovation, economy, and education. We must provide all citizens protections from these self-appointed gatekeepers of the Internet to ensure all of us can utilize and contribute information and efficiencies that make all of our lives better. The Internet must be free, open, and neutral.

A healthy government is free of corruption. Corporations aren't people. People are people, and their rights should be protected equally. Transparency, free elections, and shared common ethical standards ensure that our government serves those people. Montana has led the nation in combating corruption in politics and government, and must maintain that priority.