Great Falls, Mont.

[[Jasmine Taylor has stepped away from the blog, and she was not consulted or informed about this article.]]

About a week ago, Great Falls Mayoral Candidate Jasmine Taylor posted a video on her candidate page showcasing the hate language she has to deal with as a female candidate. https://www.tiktok.com/@montana_jasmine/video/7559640921394973965

Honestly, the comments are pretty sickening. Women face extra hate speech when they step up and run for office. In 2008, when Hillary Clinton was running for president in the Democratic primary against Barack Obama, the dudebros were chanting “make me a sandwich” at her rallies and worse. Things haven’t improved much for women since then, as recently as last year someone with Great Falls license plates was driving around with a “Joe and the Hoe” bumper sticker. Why are they calling Kamala Harris a Hoe?? Not misogynistic at all, people!

Great Falls Mayor Cory Reeves Eggs on Attacks

Jasmine Taylor’s opponent, Great Falls Mayor Cory Reeves, likes to egg on the attacks on Jasmine Taylor. He posts half truths and misleading information about Jasmine, and lets the trolls say hateful things about her with no push back from him.

Aside: If you didn’t know, Cory, you can (a) block comments from hateful people on your posts, (b) respond to the comments and ask them to stop, or even better (c) don’t encourage their attitude in the first place!

Mud Slinging 101

For example, on the topic of “throwing mud”…see a classic instance of Cory throwing mud in his post from September 23rd that we wrote about here.

Recently Cory shared an AI-generated video he saw posted by the Montana Resistance Facebook page. In the post Cory asserted that Jasmine Taylor supports the “false” video “involving kids.”

But what does he deem as her support for the video? The fact that it is not flattering to Cory? Jasmine does not run the Montana Resistance page, and she did not generate the video. The video shows AI-generated children examining a Homophobic Mayor of Great Falls costume that “says it comes with diversion of library funds and higher utility rates!” How is that false? Cory has repeatedly made announcements that he refuses to make a proclamation in support of Pride Month (homophobic). Cory has diverted library funds out of a long-standing city contract agreement after the library levy passed (diversion of library funds), and Cory has voted to raise our city utility rates by 27% (higher utility rates). WHERE IS THE “FALSE” PART?

Facebook keyboard warriors commented on Cory’s post to say the AI-generated video that Jasmine didn’t create or support was “literally…disgusting and disgraceful of her!”; “How old is that girl Jazabell [sic]….she is a girl right?”; and so on. You get the picture.

Cory Can’t Handle Criticism

It’s ironic that Cory encourages criticism and attacks on Jasmine when he, himself, cannot handle the mildest of criticism. Several people have personally relayed to us that when they questioned Cory on his stance on certain issues, or criticized him in any way, he reacted by becoming excessively defensive and aggressively attacking them. Three different individuals shared details about conversations that they had with Cory. To protect the privacy of these private citizens, we will only share selected excerpts from their conversations. Evidence was provided via screenshots, their physical phone text message views, and the like.

Example 1

On June 9th, Cory shared a post on his mayoral page stating “…[a]s a mayor, I wear many hats and searching for drowning victims is one of them….” One of his constituents asked for clarification if the searching for drowning victims was a part of his mayoral duties. This is the unhinged way Cory responded:

Example 2

A few days later, Cory shared a post on his personal Facebook page sharing an article from the right-wing hate blog of E Shitty Beat (oops, I mean: E City Beat) that was critical of Jasmine Taylor’s stance of funding for public safety. Someone commented that they dislike candidates posting shit about each other, and Cory jumped down their throat, too. See the screenshots below.

Example 3

To round it off, another community member reached out to Cory after he wrote an attack post against Jasmine Taylor on June 17th. Part of Cory’s post included the follow assertations:

5. Community Values:

I listen to all voices, but I also believe in common-sense leadership rooted in faith, family, and freedom. My opponent pushes divisive politics that don’t reflect the values of most Great Falls families.

6. Government Role:

I believe the government should focus on the basics: safe neighborhoods, economic growth, infrastructure, housing, and protecting your freedoms. My opponent wants the city to weigh in on every national political issue, often at the expense of local priorities.”

Regarding his “common-sense leadership rooted in faith, family, and freedom” and “weigh in on every national political issue,” the community member recognized that as a nod to Cory’s repeated decision to make a public announcement that he would not make a proclamation in support of Pride Month. The not-so-constructive discussion on the topic is provided below.

… A further exchange between the two on the topic of homophobia…

This November’s Electoral Choices

Our ballots for the municipal election are going in the mail on Monday, October 20, and we hope that people will take into consideration the tone of this race that has been set by Cory Reeves. He has created a culture and atmosphere that stirs up the vile and obscene comments Jasmine Taylor has to wade through during her campaign. Is that the type of mayor that Great Falls wants?

Big Sky 55+ has endorsed Casey Schreiner, Matt Pipinich, and Jasmine Taylor in this year’s municipal race. Please take that into consideration when you cast your votes.