BILLINGS, MT — Kyle Austin is the Libertarian candidate in Montana’s U.S. Senate race. The 43-year-old pharmacy owner and farmer says he’s had a desire to serve in a federal office since he was a teenager.
Watch video of the interview below:
“Back when I was 18 years in high school, I always had the vision of being an elected official someday,” Austin says.
It’s a vision he’s not giving up.
After two previous runs for Montana’s Eastern District House seat as a Republican, Austin made the move to Libertarian and earned a spot in the general election ballot.
“You know, being free. Having freedom from the government and not being controlled. That’s really what Libertarian is in a nutshell,” he says.
Austin grew up on a farm in Havre, where he graduated from high school.
“I was a farm kid-- agricultural background,” he says.
He went to Northern Montana College (now Montana State University Northern), then the University of Montana and became a pharmacist—and then a pharmacy owner. He opened Pharm 406 in Billings during the pandemic and has since opened another location in Butte.
“I started Pharm 406 in the pandemic to help Montanans get through the pandemic because we needed Covid testing, we needed vaccines. We needed that healthcare support,” Austin says.
It’s not surprising that he calls healthcare his number one issue.
“That’s one of the shifts I’ve made from Republican to Libertarian is to get government off our backs in the healthcare world,” he says.
Austin recently sued the state over its collection, retention, and use of private prescription and medical information though systems including the Montana Prescription Drug Registry.
“You can call me a whistleblower if you want, but now is the time that we have to put our foot down on government—especially with all the privacy concerns of data centers and Flock cameras. We have to get a stronghold on protecting our privacy in the state of Montana,” he says.
Like most Libertarians, he is against tariffs.
“Tariffs are a tax on the consumer. We have to go zero tariff policy with our allies out there,” Austin stated.
He also opposes the war with Iran.
“We shouldn’t have been there in the first place. We have to find an exit strategy and bring our troops home,” he says.
As a Libertarian with a lean budget, he is doing everything he can to get his name and his views out to the public.
“It’s the old school campaign method where you don’t have to have the million dollars to flood a mailbox anymore. It’s the word of mouth,” he says.
Austin is a pilot and has a CDL license. He wrapped a semi-trailer that he has been taking on the roads and driving to parades and fairs to campaign.
He also has a podcast on YouTube and a radio show that airs Sunday nights on KGHL in Billings—hoping that voters will tune and take a closer look at a third-party candidate.
“You know, people are frustrated. They are frustrated with economy. They are frustrated with the division in the Republican party. They are frustrated with division in the Democrat party. It’s just a big mess. They are looking for somebody new. Can I be that somebody new? Absolutely, I do think I can,” he says.
Here’s how Austin responded to questions about several of the top issues facing voters in the midterm elections. Some is edited for space:
MTN: Should the federal government be putting more restrictions on data centers? Should local communities have an absolute right to say no to construction in their area?
Austin: “What we need with data centers is transparency. We need to know exactly how they are going to operate. What they are going to do to our water. What they are going to do to our communities. That’s a right that Montanans need to know. So should the federal government be involved with that? Absolutely.”
MTN: Are there actions Congress could be taking to help improve the supply of accessible, affordable housing in Montana?
Austin: “It goes back to Econ 101. Trump has been playing these tariff wars. Tariffs are tax on the consumers. Free trade. Let markets be markets. We also have to get our lumber industry in the ballgame here in Montana because right now we are importing lumber and that raises the cost of wood for building houses.”
MTN: Are you supportive of the more aggressive federal immigration enforcement we’ve seen under the Trump administration?
Austin: “I don’t necessarily agree it’s more aggressive, I would disagree with that. If you go back and look at the numbers, Obama deported more immigrants than Trump has. I think it’s just more the camera has been on ICE more than it has in the past and it has more politicized, but again should law enforcement be held accountable? Absolutely, they should be out there acting professionally in our communities.”
MTN: Do you think the Trump administration’s tariff policy has been successful? Should anything be done to help Montana businesses who say they’ve been harmed?
Austin: “The small businesses out there, they are not getting the tariff relief that the big corporations did in the lawsuit. I’m the only small business owner in this race. I understand it. We are not getting compensated by it like the big corporations are, but at the end of the day we have to go back to a free trade system with zero tariffs to allow the exchange of goods and it’s not just for small businesses—it’s for our farms and ranches out there.”
MTN: Do you want to make any changes to the tax policy Congress passed in the “Big Beautiful Bill” last year?
Austin: “We all want less taxes, but what I would like to see more of a state tax break on property taxes. Small businesses are bearing too much of the burden on property taxes and that is driving small business out of business, especially with an online world and that online world is not paying their fair share of property taxes within our communities even though they are competing.”
MTN: Do you want to see further changes to eligibility requirements for benefits like Medicaid and SNAP?
Austin: “That’s part of my Healthcare 2.0 on overhauling and consolidating these programs. On healthcare piece, once we can consolidate it we can offer better plans for all Americans for access to healthcare, but it’s not just the access—it’s paying our providers what they deserve. When it comes to SNAP, we need to open that up to healthy foods. I agree with the policy on getting the junk food off the program and need to get it back to farm to table programs to help our farmers out but also get the quality food to the tables of America.”
MTN: Social Security is projected to be unable to pay full benefits by 2032. How should Congress respond?
Austin: “When it is a 100-year-old program, it is time for an overhaul. It’s a matter is sitting down, penciling it out and making a program for the future. There’s a lot of people that think every working family should have a retirement savings account—that might be the program of the future where that money is withheld and goes into an account for you and nobody else.”
MTN: What role, if any, should the federal government play in regulating abortion?
Austin: “I agree with President Trump that the federal government does not have the right under the constitution and that it should be left up to the states.”
MTN: Do you support the Trump administration’s decision to repeal the nationwide Roadless Rule? Do you want to see changes in how the federal government manages federal lands?
Austin: “We have re repeal that roadless rule, so we can access our forests, we can do responsible logging, and we can prevent these fires. What we have seen with taxpayer dollars is they have shifted from responsible forest management to firefighting and it’s a waste of money. We should shift that money back to responsible forest management so we can do responsible housing and get that lumber back to build houses.”
MTN: How do you think the U.S. should be approaching the ongoing conflict in Iran/the Middle East?
Austin: “We should not have been there in the first place, and we have to find a responsible exit strategy for sure and bring our troops home.We are in a fight that is not our fight right now. Bring our troops home.”
See other candidates profiles below:
U.S. Senate: Democrat Alani Bankhead says she knows how to get things done in D.C.
Kurt Alme draws on Montana roots in U.S. Senate campaign
Liberal in disguise? Independent Seth Bodnar pushes back, 'not sure' if Bankhead more left-leaning
