Montana

Contested primaries across Montana's new state legislative districts

Published

4 weeks ago

June 1, 2024

Contested primaries across Montana's new state legislative districts

HELENA — In addition to all the statewide elections Montanans will be voting in this year, they’ll also be choosing 125 state lawmakers.

Half of the Montana Senate and the entire Montana House will be up for election, and we already know there will be some differences in the Legislature when they arrive for their 2025 session.

The most obvious change for many Montana voters will be that the legislative districts they live in may have changed. This will be the first election cycle under the new district lines that the Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission finalized last year. All 100 House districts and 50 Senate districts have to be redrawn every ten years, after the release of federal census data, to account for shifting populations.

MTN News

Along with the new lines, there are also going to be more contested legislative primaries this year than in 2022. Out of the 125 races, 44 feature at least two Republican candidates, and 15 have multiple Democrats. That’s compared to 31 contested GOP races and 13 Democratic primaries last election.

Cascade County alone has seven contested Republican primaries, and Flathead County has six. Gallatin, Missoula and Lewis and Clark Counties each have three contested Democratic primaries.

The new lines have many incumbent lawmakers shuffling around and seeking to represent a wholly or partly different district. In addition, in 23 races, an incumbent is facing at least one challenger.

Four districts across the state have two current lawmakers facing off in their primaries – all of them Republicans.

Current Reps. Caleb Hinkle, R-Belgrade, and Jennifer Carlson, R-Manhattan, are running against each other in House District 68, in northwest Gallatin County. Additionally, former House Speaker and Senate President Scott Sales is also in the GOP primary there.

Two House members – Rep. Lola Sheldon-Galloway, R-Great Falls, and Rep. Josh Kassmier, R-Fort Benton – are facing off for an open Senate seat in Senate District 13, which covers Chouteau County and much of rural Cascade County.

In Ravalli County, Sen. Theresa Manzella, R-Hamilton, is running for reelection in Senate District 44. She’s being challenged by Rep. Wayne Rusk, R-Corvallis, as well as a third GOP candidate, Brad Davis of Victor.

In Senate District 38, which covers Powell, Granite and Jefferson Counties, Sen. Becky Beard, R-Elliston, is running for a full term after being appointed to the Senate. The other candidates in the primary include Rep. Greg Frazer, R-Deer Lodge, and Jeremy Mygland of East Helena.

Also of note this year, Gov. Greg Gianforte is weighing in on GOP legislative primaries, giving his endorsement to 58 candidates across the state – including 24 in contested races, and 3 challengers to incumbents. Gianforte backed Sales over Hinkle and Carlson, Kyle McMurray over Rep. Jane Gillette and Randyn Gregg over Rep. James Bergstrom.

Montana Legislative Primaries with Multiple Candidates:

Republicans:

House District 2 (Southern Lincoln County and Marion): Thomas Jenkins, Tom Millett
House District 7 (Kalispell): Rep. Courtenay Sprunger, Shaun Pandina
House District 8 (Evergreen): Rep. Tony Brockman, Lukas Schubert
House District 9 (Lakeside and Somers): Lee Huestis, Steven Kelly
House District 11 (Eastern Flathead County): Ed Byrne, Rob Tracy
House District 16 (Glacier County): Rolland Heagy, Elaine Utterback Mitchell
House District 18 (Toole and Pondera Counties and part of Teton County): Rep. Llew Jones, James Coombs
House District 19 (Great Falls): Derren Auger, Hannah Trebas
House District 20 (Great Falls): Rep. Steven Galloway, Elizabeth Nikolakakos
House District 21 (Black Eagle): Rep. Ed Buttrey, James Osterman
House District 22 (Great Falls): Rep. George Nikolakakos, Jim Whitaker
House District 23 (Great Falls): Pete Anderson, Josh Denully, John Proud, Eric Tilleman
House District 26 (Chouteau County and parts of Cascade County): Rep. Russ Miner, Dana Darlington
House District 28 (Hi-Line): Eric Albus, former Rep. Wayne Stahl, Mark Wicks
House District 29 (Northeastern Montana): Miles Knudsen, Valerie Moore
House District 33 (Dawson County and southern Richland County): Rep. Brandon Ler, Kathy Hoiland
House District 38 (Musselshell, Golden Valley and northern Yellowstone Counties): Rep. Greg Oblander, Nancy Kemler
House District 40 (Lockwood): Mike Vinton, Josh Visocan
House District 47 (Billings): Thomas Mahon, Stephanie Moncada
House District 53 (Yellowstone County): Rep. Nelly Nicol, David Austin
House District 55 (Carbon County): Rep. Brad Barker, Lisa Bennett, Mary Horman
House District 63 (Bozeman): Joe Flynn, Mark Lewis
House District 68 (Gallatin County): Rep. Caleb Hinkle, Rep. Jennifer Carlson, former Sen. Scott Sales
House District 70 (Beaverhead County): Mike Klakken, Shannon Maness, Mary Ann Nicholas
House District 76 (Powell and Granite Counties): Rep. John Fitzpatrick, Dave Kesler
House District 77 (Broadwater County, Three Forks and Manhattan): Rep. Jane Gillette, Kyle McMurray
House District 78 (Central Montana): Rep. James Bergstrom, Randyn Gregg
House District 79 (Lewis and Clark County): Demetri Joslin, Jill Sark
House District 83 (Helena and East Helena): Wes Feist, Christopher St. Jean
House District 84 (Helena Valley): Rep. Julie Dooling, Jon Jackson
House District 85 (Southern Ravalli County): Rep. Michele Binkley, Kathy Love
House District 86 (Hamilton): Rep. David Bedey, Robert Wallace
House District 88 (Northern Ravalli County): Kim Dailey, Greg Overstreet
House District 90 (Mineral County and parts of Missoula and Sanders Counties): Curtis Cochran, Steven Delisle, Jeff Stanek
Senate District 5 (Southern Flathead County): Marquis Laude, Rep. Matt Regier
Senate District 13 (Chouteau County and parts of Cascade County): Rep. Josh Kassmier, Rep. Lola Sheldon-Galloway
Senate District 15 (Northeastern Montana): Gregg Hunter, Rep. Rhonda Knudsen
Senate District 17 (Southeast Montana): Mike Newton, Rep. Bob Phalen
Senate District 27 (Laurel): Sen. Chris Friedel, former Rep. Vince Ricci
Senate District 35 (Madison and Beaverhead Counties): Mark McGinley, former Rep. Ray Shaw, Tony Tezak
Senate District 38 (Powell, Granite and Jefferson Counties): Sen. Becky Beard, Rep. Greg Frazer, Jeremy Mygland
Senate District 44 (Northern Ravalli County): Sen. Theresa Manzella, Brad Davis, Rep. Wayne Rusk
Senate District 45 (Mineral County and parts of Missoula and Sanders Counties): Rep. Denley Loge, AnnaMarie White
Senate District 47 (Missoula): Abigail Maki, Erica Siate

Democrats

House District 3 (Whitefish and West Glacier): Former Rep. Debo Powers, Guthrie Quist
House District 31 (Fort Peck and Fort Belknap): Rep. Frank Smith, Lance FourStar
House District 58 (Livingston): Jamie Isaly, Dean Williamson
House District 62 (Bozeman): Rio Roland, Josh Seckinger
House District 63 (Bozeman): John Hansen, Peter Strand
House District 65 (Bozeman): Brian Close, Anja Wookey-Huffman
House District 79 (Lewis and Clark County): Emily Harris, Luke Muszkiewicz, Anne Woodland
House District 82 (Helena): Pete Elverum, SK Rossi
House District 84 (Helena Valley): Michele Crepeau, David Williams
House District 97 (Missoula): Melody Cunningham, Lisa Verlanic Fowler
House District 100 (Missoula): Rep. SJ Howell, Tim Garrison
Senate District 16 (Fort Peck, Fort Belknap and Rocky Boy’s): Former Rep. Bridget Smith, Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy
Senate District 21 (Crow and Northern Cheyenne): Former Rep. Rae Peppers, Rep. Sharon Stewart-Peregoy
Senate District 36 (Butte and Anaconda): Former Rep. Sara Novak, former Sen. Jessica Wicks
Senate District 46 (Parts of Missoula, Lake and Sanders Counties): Jacinda Morigeau, CB Pearson

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Montana

Montana group welcomes South Dakotans seeking abortion, reproductive care

Published

4 hours ago

June 28, 2024

Press Room

Montana group welcomes South Dakotans seeking abortion, reproductive care

A Montana-based abortion rights group is reaching out to neighboring states announcing abortion and contraception are legal and available there.

South Dakota has a near total abortion ban, which extends to pregnancies caused by rape or incest. Health care professionals say the state’s current abortion exception is unclear.

“Minnesota and Colorado are being so inundated with volume from other states that they might have wait times,” said Nicole Smith, executive director of Montanans for Choice.

Smith said the number of South Dakota women travelling to Montana is quite small. That’s why the group is raising awareness that the state is an option to procure the procedure, which includes a billboard campaign that welcomes those seeking the procedure.

“In Montana, we can see people same day that they get here, pretty much,” Smith said. “We just want folks to know that we do have a lot of availability and if they don’t want to wait and they can get into Montana—we can probably see them pretty quickly.”

Since September last year, 280 South Dakotans travelled to Minnesota for an abortion and 170 travelled to Colorado for the procedure. That’s according to the Guttmacher Institute, a sexual and reproductive health group.

The closest abortion facilities to South Dakota in Montana are located in Billings. Smith says clinics also offer abortion medication through telemedicine.

Smith said Montana’s constitution has strong health care privacy rights.

“We have almost unfettered access to abortion in Montana,” Smith added. “There’s no mandatory waiting periods. There’s no mandatory counselling. We have telehealth for medication abortion. We’re very grateful that our constitution has protected those rights—that doctors and providers are able to give best practice medicine to us without politicians interfering in that way.”

South Dakota voters are set to vote on whether to enshrine abortion access in the state constitution this November. Constitutional Amendment G grants South Dakota women access to abortion in the first two trimesters of pregnancy. It allows the state to restrict the procedure in the third trimester, with exceptions for health and life of the mother.

Planned Parenthood North Central States believe the measure will not “adequately reinstate” abortion access in the state. Abortion opponents call the measure extreme.

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Montana

Sheehy, PERC and the future of public lands conservation in Montana

Published

11 hours ago

June 28, 2024

Press Room

Sheehy, PERC and the future of public lands conservation in Montana

A great recent article by Chris D’Angelo reports on the connection between Tim Sheehy, the Republican challenging Jon Tester for his senate seat, and PERC, the Bozeman-based Property and Environment Research Center that promotes what it calls “free market environmentalism.”

While Montanans might wonder about Sheehy’s background and policy positions given the shifting sands in his explanations, the fact that he was on the board of PERC is not in question — despite his failure to disclose that fact as required by Senate rules which his campaign says is an “omission” that’s being “amended.”

For those who have long been in the conservation, environmental, and public lands policy arena, PERC is a very well-known entity. As noted on its IRS 990 non-profit reporting form, the center is “dedicated to advancing conservation through markets, incentives, property rights and partnerships” which “applies economic thinking to environmental problems.”

But to put it somewhat more simply, PERC believes that private land ownership results in better conservation of those lands under the theory — and it is a disputable theory — that if you own the land and resources, you take better care of it due to its investment value. This has long been their across the board approach to land, water, endangered species and resource extraction.

If one wanted to dispute that theory, it certainly wouldn’t be difficult to do, particularly in Montana where checking the list of Superfund sites left behind by private industries and owners bears indisputable evidence of the myth that private ownership means better conservation of those resources.

In fact, the theory falls on its face since, when “using economic thinking” the all-too-often result is to exploit the resources to maximize profit as quickly as possible. And again, this example is applicable across a wide spectrum of resources. In Montana, that can mean anything from degrading rangeland by putting more livestock on it than it can sustain to, as in Plum Creek’s sad history, leaving behind stumpfields filled with noxious weeds on their vast private — once public — land holdings.

None of this is particularly a mystery, yet PERC has sucked down enormous amounts of funding from anti-conservation sources for more than four decades as it tries mightily to put lipstick on the pig of the all-too-obvious results of runaway private lands resource extraction.

Running one of the most high-stakes senate campaigns in the nation, however, produces a lot of tap-dancing around the truth in an effort to convince voters that you’re for whatever position will garner the most votes come Election Day.

In that regard, both Sheehy and PERC are scuttling sideways in their positions. Given the overwhelming support for “keeping public lands in public hands” in Montana, PERC now claims it “firmly believes that public lands should stay in public hands. We do not advocate for nor support privatization or divestiture.”

Funny that, given its previous and very long-held position that private ownership of lands and waters is the key to conservation. Likewise, Sheehy’s position, “that “public lands must stay in public hands” is completely the opposite from the one he held only a year ago, and parrots PERC not only in its verbiage, but in its realization of which way public sentiment and the electoral winds are blowing.

Since what’s at stake is nothing less than the future of public lands in the Big Sky State, it behooves us to demand specific policy positions in writing from all candidates for public office — including the race for Montana’s Senate seat.

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Montana

Couple walking across the U.S. reach Montana

Published

18 hours ago

June 28, 2024

Press Room

Couple walking across the U.S. reach Montana

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS — A couple from Missouri have a goal to walk through every state in the lower 48.

Paige and Torin – known by their social media handle “Walking America Couple” – are in leg three of a five-leg, cross-country journey.

They’ve already traversed through 21 states, and on Thursday, their journey brought them to just outside White Sulphur Springs.

“Even out here in the more rural open space, we still make a lot of friends on the side of the road. People often stop and ask what we’re doing, or stop to see if we need water or food,” says Paige.

Each leg takes the couple roughly six months to one year, though they take short breaks in-between. They’re also completing the entire journey with their dog Jak.

“I think he loves the adventure more than we do,” Paige adds.

Through rain, shine, snow, and severe weather warnings, the couple have not been deterred, their purpose and mission propelling them.

“We would like to set the example that you can find contentment under almost any circumstance,” says Torin. “I started out the journey an incredibly cynical person, and it was through these repeated interactions of kindness with people that I had otherwise written off in the past, that my perspective began to change dramatically,” he adds.

Now, their journey is helping to spread the same happiness they’ve discovered to those they encounter on their journeys.

“We hope to be the example that we’re, as humans, all more malleable than we think,” says Paige.

For more information, click here to visit their website.

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