Mike Cooney
Bio | Mike Cooney serves as Lieutenant Governor of Montana. He has previously held positions as Secretary of State, member of the senate, and president of the senate of Montana. He attended the University of Montana and studied journalism. |
Status and Position | Former Lieutenant Governor of Montana |
Political Party and Jurisdiction | Democrat, Montana |
Elections | Election Jurisdiction | Started Campaign | Campaign Status | Poll Rankings (of the vote) |
| 2020 Governor Election Montana | Montana | Yes | Running | 41.0% |
Campaign Financing | Cooney has raised slightly more than $3 million dollars in his bid for governor, with his largest industry contributions largely stemming from union groups like the AFT. |
Voting Rights | Within the Montana government, and as Secretary of State/Lieutenant Governor, Cooney has worked to expand voting rights within Montana. |
Opinions on Issues
Issues | Stance | Summary |
| Universal Healthcare | Unknown | Cooney states that he supports expanding healthcare, but his position on fully *universal* healthcare is unknown. N/A |
| Socialized Healthcare | For | Cooney states that access to healthcare is one of the most important issues people in Montana face, and points to his work in getting Medicaid expansion authorized in the state. |
| Private Healthcare | Nuance | Cooney does not support abolishing private healthcare, but has worked to expand Medicaid and would like to import prescriptions from Canada in order to make prices more competitive. |
| LGBT Rights | For | Cooney supports LGBT+ rights. His campaign website states that "Mike is an avid supporter of equal protection under the law for all Montanans, especially our LGBTQ friends and neighbors," and says he would continue that work as governor. |
| Taxes | Against | Cooney opposes raising taxes. He has pushed for banning the sales tax outright in Montana (which does not have one currently implemented). |
| Flat Tax Rate | Unknown | He does not have a public position on a flat tax rate. He has pushed for banning the sales tax outright in Montana (which does not have one currently implemented). |
| Abortion | For | Cooney is pro-choice. On his campaign website, Cooney states that "he has a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice Montana," and will work against anything that would restrict access to healthcare, including abortion access. |
| Gun Control | Nuance | Cooney states that he supports the 2nd Amendment, but also expanding gun-control laws. In the Democratic primary for governor, Cooney stated that he supported expanding background checks and "red flag" gun laws. |
| Assisted Suicide | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on assisted suicide. In the Democratic primary for governor, Cooney stated that he supported expanding background checks and "red flag" gun laws. |
| Government Interference | For | Cooney supports government intervention in many of his policy proposals. |
| Planned Parenthood | For | Cooney is an advocate for Planned Parenthood and the expanded healthcare options for women it provides. |
| Welfare | Unknown | He does not have a public position yet on welfare. N/A |
| Welfare | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on stem cell research. |
| Death Penalty | Against | Cooney has voted to abolish the death penalty in Montana. In the Montana Senate, Cooney voted 'yes' on SB 306 which abolished the death penalty. |
| Mandatory Prison Sentence | Against | Cooney supports a reform of the criminal justice system to reduce incarceration. |
| Military Spending | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on military spending. |
| War on Terrorism | Unknown | He does not have a public position yet on the war on terror. |
| Foreign Policy International Interaction | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on international relations. N/A |
| United Nations power | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on the United Nations. |
| Nationalism | Against | Cooney does not support any type of nationalism in Montana. |
| Free Markets | Nuance | He supports free markets but also some level of government safety net. Cooney supports the free market in job creation, but also supports strong labor-union protection and raising the minimum wage. |
| Brexit | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on Brexit. |
| Affirmative Action | Unknown | He does not have a public position yet on affirmative action. |
| Government Spending | Nuance | Cooney supports some measures of increased spending, but also balancing the state's budget. |
| Charter Schools | Against | Cooney does not support any type of public funding going to private or charter schools. |
| Common Core | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on the Common Core. N/A |
| Clean Energy | For | Cooney says that the state needs to transition to renewable energy. He states on his campaign website that "Mike is committed to working with local communities to discuss...a realistic transition to renewable energy sources." |
| Religious Freedom | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on religious freedom. N/A |
| Separation of Church and State | Unknown | He does not have a public position yet on the separation of church and state. |
| Slavery Reparations | Unknown | He does not have a public position yet on slavery reparations. |
| Border Control | Unknown | Cooney supports immigrants, but his position on border control is unknown. N/A |
| Passenger Profiling | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on such profiling. |
| DACA | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on DACA. |
| Sanctuary Cities | For | In contrast to his Republican opponent, the executive office of Montana has rejected a bill banning sanctuary cities in Montana (although there are currently none). |
| Legalizing Marijuana | For | Cooney supports legalizing marijuana and simply says it needs to be structured in a way to be done well and benefit Montana. |