And we had lived in Montana for only 20 years, long enough to know we would still be considered newcomers. Then they’ll love you.”The district covers three rural counties, too big to gather all those voters together at a campaign event, so wooing them with Ray’s barbecued brisket was out. Over six months, we knocked on the doors of over 8,000 registered voters from across the political spectrum. We didn’t know what to expect, but we certainly didn’t anticipate how eager people were to share very personal stories — not just eager, but, it seemed, compelled. Perhaps because of the fracturing of our communities, we encountered an almost universal need to be witnessed and validated, to trust.

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Persons: Ray, “, Ray’s barbecued brisket Organizations: Republican Party Locations: Montana