BILLINGS — Ming Cabrera has spent a lot of time pounding the pavement. As one of the Democrats vying for Montana’s 2nd congressional district seat, he knows that he faces a big challenge in a part of the state that has long voted Republican, but that’s not stopping him from trying to reach voters one person at a time.
He says it’s not only the way he has to do it with a shoestring campaign budget, but the way he wants to do it.
“I’ve knocked on four or five thousand doors already trying to get that message out and for me it’s the best way to get the message to talk to the people. I can tell them on a piece of paper all the things I focus on, but what they have to do is look at me and see that it is my heart-- that I believe that we can bring love back into the community.”
(Watch: MTN's profile on Ming Cabrera)
In a world of partisan and often bitter politics, Cabrera believes there is still plenty of common ground to be found.
“We’ve got to ignore the attitude. We have got to say, let’s talk about affordable housing, let’s talk about the farm bill, let’s talk about Medicare prescription drug programs. These are the things that are affecting Montana right now. What are we going to do if we continue to have partisan politics?” he says.
Cabrera, who is married with two adult children, grew up in Huntley Project. He went to medical school in the Philippines—and graduated from Creighton University.
He has worked in pharmaceutical sales, owned a Chinese restaurant, and has also served on the Billings Heights Water District Board of Directors.
“Because I’ve traveled Montana and eastern Montana for 35 years, I feel like I’m really part of every community out there,” he says.
He says the farm bill and affordable housing are two of his top priorities.
“We’ve got to make sure crop insurance is there and that SNAP is there. SNAP helps people of low income but it also helps the elderly,” Cabrera says.
A hunter and gun owner, he’s also a supporter of the Second Amendment but wants some checks.
“We need guns especially in the rural areas because a lot of people need to protect themselves, but we need to have mental checks on people make sure that those people who are out there are legitimate owners. We have got to make sure and we need to make sure that we continue with the gun safety hunter education programs that are out there, so people understand the basics of gun safety,” he says.
As a Catholic, Cabrera says abortion would not be his personal choice—but he says he supports a woman’s right and also saw the consequences of illegal abortions first-hand while working as a physician in the Philippines.
Those are some of the reasons why you’ll find Ming Cabrera out knocking on doors—trying to find those hard-earned votes.
“One thing that I can guarantee the citizens of Billings and the people of Montana, I will give you my heart. And that is pretty much what I will tell you. I will give you what I have to make sure that we in Montana will always be represented,” he says.
Cabrera is one of 12 candidates, including four Democrats, running for Montana’s eastern district U.S. House seat. You can find interviews with all of them here.
