Vice President JD Vance delivered remarks at two campaign events in Montana on October 26, emphasizing American sovereignty and job protection while also making lighthearted comments about physical appearances and state pronunciations.
Vance’s policy remarks focused on immigration and labor policies, while his campaign stops included a stop in Topeka, Kansas, and an event in Belgrade, Montana, ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
Policy Focus: Sovereignty and Jobs
During a campaign event in Belgrade, Montana, Vance framed the midterm elections as a choice between Republican-backed policies and Democratic alternatives, according to reporting from the Washington Examiner. He argued that the GOP supports a post-racial sovereignty that prioritizes American workers, while accusing Democrats of opposing U.S. prosperity.
Vance stated: “In the last couple of years, we have cut down on visa fraud and fought against anybody who would lay off an American worker and replace them with a low-wage foreigner because sovereignty means that American jobs go to the American people.”
Campaign Humor and Local Moments
At the same event, Vance made humorous remarks about President Donald Trump’s recent comments on physical appearances, according to Newsweek. Vance quipped: “We’re self-confident in the Trump-Vance administration. The president’s been noticing a lot about the physiques of everybody lately.”
He also mispronounced Montana’s capital, Helena, as “Huh-LAYNE-a,” prompting audible reactions from the crowd before correcting himself.
Montana Races and Polling Context
Vance’s visit to Belgrade was part of a broader effort to rally support for Montana Republicans, including House candidate Aaron Flint and Senate candidate Kurt Alme, ahead of the November 3 midterms.
Polling data cited by Newsweek showed Flint trailing Democrat Sam Forstag in the House District 1 race (50% to 46%) in an October 12-14 Emerson College poll, while Alme held a larger lead in the Senate race (15.6 points over Democrat Alani Bankhead and independent Seth Bodnar) according to an October 15-18 Quantus Insights survey.
Alme is running to succeed retiring Republican Senator Steve Daines, who endorsed Alme as his preferred successor after withdrawing from the race in March.
Event Logistics
Vance’s campaign events included a Topeka, Kansas appearance at 6:05 p.m. ET and a Belgrade, Montana stop at 1:55 p.m. ET, both reported by The Epoch Times.