Meet Wayne RUSK

     My name is Wayne Rusk. I have lived in the Bitterroot Valley for more than 33 years. My time in the Bitterroot has blessed me greatly. Here I have learned to fly and earned a commercial pilot’s license. It is where I started my business 27 years ago as a successful tradesman.

     I met my wife Carrie in free fall, skydiving over the Stevensville airport from 15,000 feet in 1994. It is also where we are raising our two amazing children, Olivia, 22, and Nathan, 19. This beautiful Valley we call home has been the perfect place to teach them our Christian values, and our love of the outdoors, by hunting, fishing, and enjoying a peaceful way of life. 

     I have had a lifelong interest in politics and love history. I grew up in the 80’s and even as a teenager was inspired by the leadership of President Reagan. I have known the bounty and opportunity the Founders intended for us when they framed our government. It has not all been easy, but it has been worth it. I feel strongly that now it is time for me to give back. I have stood for our American values and the conservative principles that preserve them.

     During my first legislative session in 2023, I served on the Judiciary and Health and Human Services Committees. It was an honor to serve as your representative in Helena. However, as a lifelong Republican, I must admit I was at times taken aback by the undue influence of hyper-partisanship and political faction that obtained in our party, and how on these occasions it tended to render us poor stewards of our own positions.

     As our politics have become increasingly polarized, I have consistently struck for common ground and found it. In the legislature I remained steadfastly conservative and constitutional amid the seductions of extremism and the pressures of partisanship – no matter what the scorecards of special interest groups are saying.