A Montana congressional candidate filmed a campaign ad in a humble kitchen, which looked entirely different from the one in his $1.5 million home. Ryan Busse, 56, a Democrat running for the House of Representatives, posted an ad on April 24 under the title 'Let's Fix It.'
In the 30-second video, Busse and his wife, Sara, poured coffee and sat around a kitchen table shaking their heads as recent news headlines played. 'How much more of this are we supposed to take? It's not right and the people in power are letting it happen,' Busse said in the advertisement. 'Well, that's on them. Fixing it? That's on us.'
Busse then promised to fight for 'working people' and vowed against advocating 'for the wealthy.' His seething message against the rich was delivered from the small, modest kitchen. But according to public records, the Busses live in a $1.5 million, 3,200 square foot ranch-style property on a secluded lot of rolling land in Kalispell. A Zillow listing for the four-bedroom house showed an entirely different kitchen than the one portrayed in the advertisement.
Records obtained by Fox Digital suggested that campaign staffer Alice Collins' townhome in Missoula may have been the residence portrayed in the video. Busse's campaign office refused to confirm or deny whether the advertisement had been filmed in a staffer's house rather than Busse's sprawling home. But Collins said, 'At no point in the ad do we claim it to be Ryan’s house.' Neither Collins nor Busse confirmed or denied that it was the staff member's home that had been featured.
In an interview with KPAX-TV in 2024, Busse and his wife disclosed they were raising 11 chickens at their home and allowed hunting dogs to have 'free rein' of the property. The conversation was amidst Busse's run for Montana governor, which he lost to Republican Greg Gianforte.
Now, Busse is hoping to replace Republican Congressman Ryan Zinke, whose term is up at the end of the year. Per Busse's campaign website, the former firearms executive has two sons and began pursuing public office because he 'feared irresponsible political extremism.' Busse resigned from the helm of Kimber Manufacturing, Inc's sales department in 2020 after 25 years with the company. According to Rocket Reach, the company raked in more than $110 million annually.
Busse has claimed that 'obscene wealth and dangerous partisanship' are a threat to his home state. 'It’s time to stand up to the out-of-state billionaires and the wealthy corporations,' he said. 'It’s time we had a congressman who fights for real Montanans.' In the infamous ad posted last month, Busse also advocated for universal healthcare, protecting public lands, and standing up against Donald Trump.
Republican strategist Colin Reed told Fox that revelations surrounding the video raised questions about the authenticity of Busse's campaign, which was largely platformed against the wealthy. 'If a candidate seeking to crusade on an affordability message feels the need to film campaign commercials away from their own home, that says a lot about the state of socialism and the demonization of prosperity in today’s Democratic Party,' he said.
Primaries for Montana's congressional race will be held on June 2. The red state has two open congressional seats, which will be filled come November 3. Busse is up against fellow Democrats Russell Cleveland, Samuel Forstag, and Matt Rains, per Ballotpedia. He will also face off against Republicans Ray Curtis, Aaron Flint, Christi Jacobsen, and Albert Olszewski. The Daily Mail contacted Busse's campaign for comment.
