In examining the careers of some of Montana’s political leaders over the past century, three noted journalists will attempt to answer the question, “Why has a sparsely populated state like Montana produced so many national political leaders?” Marc C. Johnson, Chuck Johnson, and Mike Dennison will discuss the contributions of political figures ranging from Burton K. Wheeler and Jeannette Rankin to Mike Mansfield and Marc Racicot. The three political journalists will also debate how the accomplishments of these individuals compare and why it is important to save their stories for future generations. Formerly a top aide to Cecil D. Andrus—Idaho’s longest serving governor—and a public affairs and crisis communications consultant, Marc C. Johnson is the author a recent biography, Political Hell-Raiser: The Life and Times of Senator Burton K. Wheeler of Montana. Chuck Johnson, who covered the 1972 Montana state constitutional convention for the Associated Press, is the former chief of Lee Newspapers’ statehouse bureau and a journalist with more than forty years of experience. Author of the recently published, Inside Montana Politics: A Reporter’s View from the Trenches, Mike Dennison is the chief political reporter for the Montana Television Network with thirty-eight years of experience in television and newspaper reporting.