Montana

Montana congressional delegation responds to Biden's State of the Union address

Published

2 years ago

March 8, 2024

Montana congressional delegation responds to Biden's State of the Union address

HELENA — President Joe Biden delivered his third State of the Union address Thursday night, an often fiery speech laying out his vision for the country and drawing sharp contrasts with his likely opponent in the 2024 elections, former President Donald Trump. The address got mixed reactions from the members of Montana’s congressional delegation.

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, the lone Democrat representing Montana in Congress told MTN Thursday he approaches every administration, including Biden’s, as a mixed bag. In a statement after the speech, Tester said Biden had addressed some of the pressing issues for Montana, but more work needs to be done.

Every member of Congress is given one guest ticket for the address. Tester’s guest this year was Fred Hamilton, a Vietnam veteran from Columbia Falls who was exposed to toxins during his service and who is now receiving benefits through the PACT Act.

“We need to address workforce, we need to address the inflation issue, we need to address child care and housing – so there’s plenty of things to address out there,” Tester told MTN. “But keep in mind this – and this is a fact: We are the greatest country in the world. We’re the greatest country the world’s ever known. A lot of that is due to folks like Fred Hamilton who served this country in the military. But the bottom line is, if we don’t make good decisions in Washington, D.C., then we could lose that status.”

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines told MTN Thursday that he didn’t bring a guest to this year’s speech. He said he thought most Montanans felt the country is on the wrong track, and that he doubted they’d be interested to hear Biden’s framing of the issues. He blamed the Biden administration for “failure after failure.”

“Montanans see what I see – and that is the nation is in chaos, it’s in crisis,” said Daines. “This president has the worst approval ratings of any president in our nation’s history at this moment of time in the presidency. We’ve got an out-of-control border as a result of Joe Biden’s reversal of President Trump’s policies – literally an invasion going on with nearly 9 million illegals into our country. We’re seeing the crime, the fentanyl.”

U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke was joined Thursday by Marvin Weatherwax Jr., a Blackfeet Tribal Business Council member, Democratic state legislator and chairman of the Coalition of Large Tribes, an organization that advocates for tribes which oversee large trust land bases. Zinke said the two shared concerns about border security and the impacts drugs are having in Montana tribal areas.

After the speech, Zinke accused Biden of inaction on key issues.

“You know, we’re a border state, both physically and now feeling it from the south,” he said. “The economy is not great in every place in Montana, and Montana families are struggling. Energy costs are up. So a lot of issues – by the way, I haven’t seen any issue that’s not fixable.”

U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale released a video statement on YouTube after the address. In it, he thanked his guest – Billings Gazette photographer Larry Mayer, whose photo revealed the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that flew over Montana last year – but criticized Biden.

“The rest of the speech, unfortunately, was filled with a bunch of very expensive promises, giveaways by the Democrat party and the Biden administration, and higher taxes for what he would consider the rich and wealthy,” he said. “This is the same scenario that they use time and time again and, to me, it was just a very good bedtime story, because it was just full of fairytales.”

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March 5 recap: Missoula and Western Montana news you may have missed today

Published

11 hours ago

March 6, 2026

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March 5 recap: Missoula and Western Montana news you may have missed today

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Montana

Montana GOP won’t endorse in federal races this cycle • Daily Montanan

Published

24 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Montana GOP won’t endorse in federal races this cycle • Daily Montanan

Although newly minted GOP candidates for the U.S. House and U.S. Senate have garnered heavyweight endorsements, the Montana Republican Party said Thursday it won’t throw its support behind any candidates for federal office in the primary.

“The Montana Republican Party (MTGOP) stands behind its deep bench of qualified candidates seeking to represent Montanans and supports a competitive primary process to let voters pick their preferred candidates,” the Montana GOP said in a news release Thursday.

Monday, U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke announced he was retiring due to health concerns once his term ends, and he immediately tapped talk-show host Aaron Flint as his preferred successor in Congress.

Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen and Flathead County Republican Central Committee Chairperson Al Olszewski also filed for the U.S. House as Republicans, as did Ray Curtis of Bonner.

Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines withdrew, and in a statement the same night, announced an endorsement of former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme, who had filed the same day.

In the Senate, Lee Calhoun and Charles Walking Child also filed to run in the Republican primary.

Endorsements for Flint and Alme cascaded. U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed both candidates, and U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy and Gov. Greg Gianforte threw their weight behind Flint and Alme.

Late on Wednesday, the Montana GOP did not immediately have comment on the news Daines, Montana’s senior U.S. senator, had resigned, but Thursday, the party thanked Zinke and Daines for their service.

A news release said the party would not endorse any candidates in the federal primary and would leave the job in the hands of voters.

“The party hopes every candidate will make their case to the public, contrasting their Republican policies and principles with those of Democrats — as well as phony ‘Independents,’” the news release said.

Former University of Montana President Seth Bodnar announced a run for the U.S. Senate as an independent this week.

A tension within the Republican party has emerged in recent years between hardline conservatives and more moderate members, and some legislative primaries illustrate the split.

This week, the state GOP said the number of primaries for state legislative seats shows a high interest from Montanans who want to serve the state and pass Republican policy, and the MTGOP “is glad to see so many Republicans being called to public service.”

In a brief call, MTGOP spokesperson Ethan Holmes said the party had not ruled out endorsements in legislative primaries.

In the news release, however, the MTGOP offered its view of the larger political debate.

“Montana voters know that beyond the primaries, there is a clear choice between Republican and Democratic governance; one path leads to lower taxes, less crime and stronger families, and the other leads to higher taxes, more crime, and social decay,” MTGOP Chairperson Art Wittich said in a statement.

The news release also said the state GOP is working “tirelessly to deliver a Bright Red Future” at both the state and federal level and looks forward to help candidates whom voters select win in November.

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Montana Lottery Powerball, Lotto America results for March 4, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 4, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 4 drawing

07-14-42-47-56, Powerball: 06, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from March 4 drawing

33-38-39-47-51, Star Ball: 07, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from March 4 drawing

01-07-08-27, Bonus: 12

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from March 4 drawing

05-10-26-53-59, Powerball: 06

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Montana Cash numbers from March 4 drawing

03-04-06-08-10

Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 4 drawing

12-13-36-39-58, Bonus: 03

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.

Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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