Mike Fellows said hes running for the U.S. House for three reasons: to try to balance the federal budget, reduce the federal debt and protect Second Amendment gun rights.

The perennial Libertarian candidate from Missoula faces Democrat John Lewis and Republican Ryan Zinke in the Nov. 4 general election.

If you want smaller government, lower taxes and more liberty, were the only candidate in the race, Fellows said. Were the only fiscal conservative thats out there. Lewis is the liberal. Zinke has already said hes a moderate, and then youve got myself, whos a fiscal conservative.

Fellows, who said hes around 55, is self-employed in video preparations and odds and ends.

Hes coming off his best showing in a statewide race in 2012, polling 43 percent in a losing race against longtime Supreme Court Clerk Ed Smith, a Democrat. No Republican ran.

To balance the federal budget, Fellows called for elimination of the U.S. departments of education, commerce and energy.

He said the U.S. Education Department should just send its budget to the states, which would trigger innovation in education, halt its top-down, one-size-fits-all approach and eliminate the jobs of the federal agencys current employees.

It would be nice to scrap the tax code as well, but you and I know that is not going to happen, the Libertarian said. We need to reduce the rate of corporate and individual taxes.

As for the $17.7 trillion federal debt, Fellows said, We just have to control spending. Thats the only way were going to do it. We cant spend more than we take in.

Fellows said the country is slowly becoming more Libertarian, with candidates actually talking about reducing spending and getting our debts under control.

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Libertarian candidate Fellows seeks U.S. House seat