Fox Campaign Unveils Third Strategy; Says Difference From Gianforte is Night and Day

Gubernatorial candidate Tim Fox and running mate John Knokey have unveiled the third of their fifteen pillars of strategic vision, part of their plan for a “Montana United.” Fox and Knokey’s first and second pillars, focusing on agriculture and community security, rolled out during February. Knokey spoke to KGVO News about their third pillar and what it means for Montana's outdoors.

The third pillar, named the Outdoor and Conservation Strategy, aims to maximize the potential of Montana’s outdoors. In creating the Outdoor and Conservation Strategy, Fox and Knokey worked with various leaders and stakeholders from around Montana to determine the concerns and opportunities for growth in the state.

“The outdoor strategy that we have set forth is broad, it’s visionary, it’s practical… there are three million acres right now in Montana that are landlocked, so how do we work with landowners and incentivize them to unlock those three million acres?”

Knokey emphasizes the magnitude of Montana’s outdoor economy.

“We talked about the importance of the outdoor economy: right now, about $2.2 billion are generated from our outdoor economy, employing about 70,000 employees. How do we promote established outdoor jobs, and well as homegrown entrepreneurship from the outdoors?”

Knokey says that their outdoor strategy rivals what Greg Gianforte has put forth as part of his own 2020 bid for governor.

“You look at the guy that we’re running against, Greg Gianforte. You go to his website, and his outdoor strategy is 74 words. We almost had 70 people across the state of Montana inform our strategy, so it’s a night-and-day difference between who stands with conservation outdoors—hunting, fishing, hiking, mountain biking, and the outdoor economy. We’re pretty excited about it.”

The strategy documents on Fox and Knokey’s first two pillars are available on Fox’s campaign website. The Outdoor and Conservation Strategy paper will likely be uploaded soon.