Ryan Busse to visit Big Sky second time for meet and greet

Gubernatorial candidate to visit Big Sky with running mate Raph Graybill on May 29 

By Jen Clancey DIGITAL PRODUCER 

Montana gubernatorial candidate Ryan Busse will return to Big Sky for a meet and greet on Wednesday, May 29 from 5-7 p.m. accompanied by his running mate, Raph Graybill.

Big Sky is among dozens of Montana towns and cities that Busse has visited in the past months since announcing his campaign for Montana Governor on Sept. 14, 2023. Busse described the events as “unbelievably fantastic” on the phone with EBS on May 20. Ahead of the May 18, 36th Annual Truman Dinner, Busse held a meet and greet at a residence in Billings where he saw a packed house. 

“And that’s very typical. I think I’ve held somewhere in the neighborhood of between 100 and 120 events since we launched on September 14. And almost all of them have kind of shocked me how energetic and full they are,” Busse said. 

The engagement he sees from attendees is heartening for the Kalispell native. “There are all of these folks across the state that I think are really worried about losing this sort of magical Montana that we’ve all lived in.” 

Busse expressed that he’s excited to come back to Big Sky following a meet and greet event  back on Dec. 15, and revisit topics that community members brought to him. 

“I think fair taxation and property taxes and affordability for working Montanans it’s just a … really, really hot topic with very good reason,” Busse said on the phone with EBS. “I expect to hear more while we’re there and I expect for us to address it more.”

Graybill, running alongside Busse as lieutenant governor, will also meet Big Sky attendees at the event next week. Born and raised in Great Falls, Graybill has experience in the Montana government, notably serving as chief legal counsel for Montana governor Steve Bullock and running for Montana attorney general in 2020. In his private practice, Graybill Law Firm, the attorney takes on cases all over the state. 

“You don’t have to be around Raph for more than about 30 seconds to see the kind of engaging, smart, just really good Montana person that he is,” Busse said of his running mate. 

The location of the meet and greet is available to those who rsvp to rebecca@busseformontana.com.