GREAT FALLS — Michael Eisenhauer knew the race for Congress wouldn’t be easy without a party affiliation.
“My biggest struggle is name recognition and part of that is because I wasn’t on the primary ballot,” said Eisenhauer, pronounced the same as the nation’s 34th President, Dwight D. Eisnehower.
Watch the video below:
“It hasn’t hurt,” said Eisenhauer when asked if the similar pronunciation has been helpful.
“If you go to President Eisenhower’s museum in Kansas and look at the family tree on the wall, it’s spelled this way,” said Eisenhauer.
As far as the name recognition, the 62-year-old cardiologist bought and refurbished a used ambulance to help get his point across regarding rural health care.
“This really is a fully functional ambulance,” said Eisenhauer. “It’s somewhat novel, somewhat unique. But again, it drives home the point about protecting rural healthcare and being part of the rural healthcare system.”
He feels the mobile marketing tool is making a difference.
“Up in Sydney we were doing a meet and greet inside of a local pub, and there were ladies who drove by who had seen our flier, who had forgotten about the event, but then saw the ambulance and came in and joined us for the discussion,” said Eisenhauer.
Eisenhauer grew up in the panhandle of Nebraska.
He went to the University of Nebraska in Lincoln for his undergraduate studies on an ROTC scholarship.
He went to medical school at Georgetown University and served in the U.S Army for 24 years, where he served as a cardiologist, and health care administrator and leader. His military service took him overseas where he served in South Korea as well as seven months in Baghdad, Iraq.
He retired from the military in 2010 before moving to Wyoming where he worked as a private practice physician.
He’s lived in Montana since 2015 and was employed as a cardiologist at Benefis Health System. Since leaving that job in 2024, he’s traveled as a part-time physician serving communities that are shorthanded.
Eisenhauer is one of four candidates in the race for Montana's second congressional district. He’s running as an Independent.
“I've never been the kind of the kind of guy to vote a straight party ticket. I've always thought that I was smart enough to pick and choose which candidate might match my my own personal values,” said Eisenhauer. “But I also decided to run as an independent because I think Congress has broken and the two-party system is a large part of the reason why that is.”
From affordability for food and fuel, housing and health insurance, he says he’s running to restore America’s faith in government.
“It just doesn't make any sense that we're ranked 49th out of 50th when you look at average wage versus the cost of housing. And so, citizens are losing faith,” said Eisenhauer.
As a cardiologist, he says he’s well versed in the economics of health care which he’s motivated to protect in rural Montana.
“It would be a sin in my mind if someday someone were to have a heart attack out in a small community and not have a place to go,” said Eisenhauer.
It's something the 24-year Army Veteran says needs to carry over to the men and women who served.
“I've worked in the VA health care system and I understand the promise we made to our veterans that needs to be kept,” said Eisenhauer.
He also says he’s fighting for farmers, who he says are being pressured by tariffs and rising fuel and fertilizer costs.
“I don't know how farmers can be asked to do this much longer if it's a losing proposition or a break-even proposition,” said Eisenhauer.
He believes in Right to Repair, is not a fan of imported beef and doesn’t like farm bailouts.
The campaigns of Eisnehauer and fellow independent candidate Seth Bodner, seeking a seat in the U.S. Senate, made headlines when investigated by Cascade County authorities over potentially fraudulent petition signatures gathered on their behalf. Law enforcement said both campaigns were cooperative and were not suspected of any wrongdoing.
“It has caused some questions, but fortunately, the county attorney and the county sheriff's office have already indicated that we have done nothing wrong. And so it really hasn't crippled us,” said Eisenhauer.
Eisenhauer has a lot more miles to go in his campaign ambulance before the final votes are counted, meeting Montana voters, sharing thoughts, and getting his name out there. He says no matter what happens on election day, it won’t be that last time he’s heard from.
“If I'm not successful, I'm going to stay involved. There are things and other pathways that where I can contribute,” said Eisenhauer.
MTN asked Eisenhauer a series of questions to get his thoughts on current national and international events.
Watch the interview with Michael Eisenhauer below:
Should the federal government be putting more restrictions on data centers, and should local communities have an absolute right to say no to construction in their area?
Michael Eisenhauer: “Data centers are certainly first and foremost in the minds of many voters. I have a position where I am against a federal mandate either for or against data centers. At the same point in time, I purely believe in local control, and I'm in full support of what Yellowstone County and other localities are doing in Montana to leave it up to voters, to leave it up to the citizens, whether or not they would like to have a data center in their vicinity.”
Are there actions that Congress should be taking to help improve the supply of accessible and affordable housing in Montana?
Michael Eisenhauer: “Without question. Yes, there are many things the federal government can do. Things from regulation and incentives to local governments and state governments. We can do things with mortgages to make them more transferable. We can do things with capital gains, targeted capital gains cuts so that if a couple or two elderly citizens want to downsize, they wouldn't be hit with maybe two capital gains on that amount of the house. So, there are regulatory things we can do. There are incentive things to do. And you can incentivize local governments to change zoning regulations. So maybe more multi-family housing, maybe more starter home housing. So, there are things that can be done and frankly, should be done.”
Are you supportive of the more aggressive federal immigration enforcement we've seen under the Trump administration?
Michael Eisenhauer: “Well, we are a country of immigrants. So, we need to have a healthy and vibrant immigration policy. I think the Trump government went too far. The pendulum swung too far. It's not an all or nothing thing. We know that our stock growers and our agricultural community need a certain amount of immigrant workers to come in and start their business. The same thing in health care. I think you'd be surprised how many foreign medical trained doctors and nurses there are on traveling visas staffing our facilities, and that's even more important in the rural environment. So, I don't think immigration is an all or none. I don't think it's all-black or white. I think it needs to be managed. Now, when it comes to ICE, I think there is a role for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but unfortunately due to a lack of leadership and a lack of management and inadequate training, it's simply got out of control.”
Do you think that the Trump administration's tariff policy has been successful, and should anything be done to help Montana businesses who say they've been harmed?
Michael Eisenhauer: “This is an area where Congress has failed. Again, immigration and trade policy really belongs to the Congress as opposed to the to the administration. And they have totally abrogated that responsibility to the White House. The tariffs have gotten out of control. They've been used as a toy. They've been used as a game. They've been used as a weapon. And that's really not what they're designed to do. They're designed to keep trade fair and balanced, not to try to manipulate foreign policy in certain directions, and then have them come and go and increase and decrease at the whim of one individual. Tariffs have, without question, hurt Montana. Not only is it in the agricultural community with the price of exported grains and now losing entire overseas markets for our soybean crops, but it is also hurt tourism. I was visiting with the CEO of KOA Campgrounds in Billings, and she tells me that there's 54% fewer Canadian tourists using their campgrounds compared to two years ago. And so, these tariffs in Canada, Mexico and elsewhere around the world have absolutely had a detrimental effect.”
Would you like to see any changes made to the tax policy Congress passed, in the Big Beautiful Bill last year?
Michael Eisenhauer: “Well, in fact, that's the main reason that I decided to run into this race, because I was sitting up in camp watching the fights last year over the One Big, Beautiful Bill and the premium tax credits to the Affordable Care Act. And I immediately knew what that would do to jeopardize rural health care in Montana. So being a physician who works in that rural health care system, that's when I decided to say, okay, it's time to raise my hand. Get back into public service and try to be part of the solution rather than be part of the problem. Without question, the One Big Beautiful Bill has jeopardized our rural health care system. 38,000 Montanans have lost access to Medicaid. Some 60 to 65,000 have dropped off the Affordable Care Act because of the loss of those premium tax credits. And so that draconian all or none hatchet style is hurting Montanans, hurting our communities, threatening rural health care. Whether it be critical access hospitals or FCS clinics. And we all know that in these smaller communities, those rural health care centers are oftentimes the largest employer or the best paying employer. And if they're gone, local farmers and ranchers may not retire into that community. That jeopardizes the generational farm. And if the generational farm is lost, it gets sold to corporations and school enrollment drops, and then we've lost Montana. So, yeah, I was motivated by the One Big Beautiful bill. And what happened last fall when they shut the government down? They went on vacation yet again.”
Do you want to see further changes to eligibility requirements for benefits like Medicaid and SNAP?
Michael Eisenhauer: “I think the eligibility requirements need to be maintained. They need to be preserved. They need to be fought for. I don't think that increasing the age any farther will do anything to help with Medicare solvency. And SNAP benefits are set at a certain rate, whether it be 3 or 4 or 500% of the federal poverty level. I think those also need to be preserved. What we need is a farm bill that provides for those SNAP benefits, and we haven't had a farm bill for eight years. Again, because of this dysfunctional, broken Congress. So rather than cut those benefits, I would fight to preserve them.”
Social security is projected to be unable to pay for benefits by 2032, So how should Congress respond?
Michael Eisenhauer: “I'm very proud to have the endorsement of Big Sky 55, because I have publicly stated that Social Security needs to be preserved. And the most obvious way to do that is to increase the maximum salary cap, for which you pay taxes into Social Security. That is the straightforward bipartisan approach. There are legislators on both sides who already agree with that premise. So, there are ways that Congress can preserve and make Social Security more financially stable for the next 20 years if they simply make that move. I don't agree with increasing the retirement age.”
What role, if any, should the federal government play in regulating abortion?
Michael Eisenhauer: “As a physician my premise is that a woman has the right to maintain her own health and make her own decisions and have a right to choose and direct her own health care in concert with her physician, in concert with her family and whatever other, higher power she may or may not believe in. So, I do not believe that the federal government has a role in regulation regulating abortion or access to prenatal health care. My biggest fear is that a woman might order in a prescription to get a pharmaceutical abortion, have a complication from that, and then not be able to get local care. That would be a disaster. So I think a woman's right to choose needs to be preserved. Now, fortunately, Montana has already voted to preserve that in a prior election, but without question, that will come up again. The other point about that is that the 14th amendment really requires that the federal government not create islands of care where certain things are different in different regions of the country compared to other regions. It's more of a stabilizing thing. And that's true whether it be the Department of Education. But it's also true when it relates to health care and the right to obtain prenatal care and potentially a board of health care. So that's another area where Congress has failed to follow the Constitution to make sure that things are pretty much stable across the country so that access is available when and where it's needed.”
Do you support the Trump administration's decision to repeal the nationwide Roadless Rule? And do you want to see changes in how federal government manages federal lands?
Michael Eisenhauer: “I believe wilderness areas need to be preserved as wilderness areas. So there are certain areas where they should remain roadless. No, I wouldn't I wouldn't repeal that act. At the same point, there needs to be available access and public lands are there for the benefit of the public whether that be in recreation. But it can also be there's a large amount of timber in those areas. I think we can do responsible lumber harvesting in those areas, which may also help with wildfire mitigation. I also believe that those minerals that sometimes are created in public lands are there can be mined in a safe and responsible manner with the appropriate department of Natural Resources and Conservation supervision. The mineral royalties fund, our trust fund, which keeps our schools going and helps us build new facilities. I think public lands can be used for a variety of things, but in general, the wilderness areas, I think should be protected as wilderness. That's the part of Montana we've all grown in love, fallen in love with.”
How do you think the U.S. should be approaching the ongoing conflict in Iran, in the Middle East?
Michael Eisenhauer: “I'm a 24-year military veteran, and I've served overseas in the Middle East. And let me just say that this war in Iran, in the Middle East is an illegitimate war. It's an illegal war. It's another area where Congress has failed to follow the War Powers Act and has not done what they need to be doing. The problem is we've now created a situation in the Strait of Hormuz where we're going to have to be there for 10 or 15 years just to keep it open, and the only way out of that is to do what we haven't done, and that is to create a multinational coalition and actually have partners help us to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. If we continue to act like bullies in the Middle East and try to think we can do things by ourselves, we're going to be there for ten, 15 years or longer and it's just going to be another mess. So, I think we've gotten ourselves into a hole.”
