Montana
Democrat Busse and running mate Graybill file Montana gubernatorial ticket
HELENA — Former firearms executive Ryan Busse, a Democrat from Kalispell, officially filed his campaign for governor Tuesday morning – a day after introducing his candidate for lieutenant governor, attorney Raph Graybill.
Joined by their families, Busse and Graybill filled out paperwork at the Secretary of State’s Office in Helena. In Montana, a candidate for governor can’t officially file to get on the ballot without including a running mate.
Busse, an author and activist, told MTN he considered a wide range of potential running mates – including some Republicans. He said Graybill reached out to him early in the campaign wanting to help, and he continued to rise to the top of the list of potential candidates.
Busse pointed to Graybill’s work on constitutional challenges against laws passed by the Republican majority in the Montana Legislature and signed by Gov. Greg Gianforte – with a record of successful cases so far.
“If we believe our state’s really facing the perils that it is, I want the sharpest constitutional sword we can get, and that’s Raph Graybill,” Busse said.
Graybill, originally from Great Falls, was chief legal counsel for former Gov. Steve Bullock. In 2020, he ran as the Democratic nominee for attorney general, losing to Republican Austin Knudsen. Since then, he’s represented groups like Planned Parenthood of Montana and the Montana Public Interest Research Group in lawsuits over bills they believe are unconstitutional.
“I’ve been part of fighting back for Montana’s constitutional rights in the courts, and Ryan and I are going to work our tails off to make sure that these egregious property tax increases that we’re all paying don’t happen again,” Graybill told MTN Tuesday.
Busse says he believes this ticket can make a case to voters, regardless of their party affiliation.
“Raph stands with me to stand for working people in this state, not for the people who are trying to turn it into a playground for billionaires – again, nothing partisan about that, I hear from Republicans and Democrats all across the state,” he said. “We’re perfectly aligned.”
Busse and Graybill were the first gubernatorial ticket to file with the Secretary of State this year. Though Gianforte hasn’t officially filed for reelection, he’s already announced he plans to run, with Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras again as his running mate.
Busse first introduced Graybill Monday evening at an event in Pablo. Immediately after filing, the two candidates began a joint campaign tour, with eight planned appearances over four days in cities across Montana.
The Montana Republican Party released a statement Tuesday in response to the Democrats’ filing, calling Busse a “gun grabber.”
“Liberal lawyer Raph Graybill has spent his entire career appeasing to the far-left,” party chair “Don K” Kaltschmidt said. “Montana voters have already rejected him when he lost his bid for Attorney General in 2020 by 17 points and they will reject him again in 2024.”
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 14, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from June 14 drawing
02-10-14-23, Bonus: 06
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 14 drawing
03-06-16-18-48, Bonus: 01
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.
Montana
How one Montanan has tapped into the market of bison shearing — and turned it into a successful business
CLYDE PARK — You might be familiar with alpaca shearing, but did you know there’s a man right here in Montana who also shears bison? And has made it into a successful business?
“This bail right here, that is 500 pounds of bison fiber that is going to Italy,” said Peter Connelly.
WATCH: Montana man turns bison shearing into a business, calls it the last unexplored natural fiber
Montana man turns bison shearing into a business, calls it the last unexplored natural fiber
Connelly has been shearing for 21 years.
“About 13 years ago, I had an opportunity to start shearing bison hides,” said Connelly. “It was the most amazing thing. Like, they look rough and rugged, which they are… but when you get into their winter coat that they grow, it’s as soft as cashmere.”
As Connelly explains, he was first contracting for companies as a bison shearer. But, he noticed they would mostly use the bison fibers for beanies and socks. He saw more potential.
“Bison has been gate-kept essentially by the people that we were shearing for,” said Connelly. “There’s a lot of interest. It’s the last natural fiber that has not been explored.”
So, he decided to expand, partnering with various companies to do research and development with bison fiber.
“We know what we want to do with it, but we want to see what other people can do with it,” said Connelly.
In addition to selling bison fiber, Connelly founded a company last October called Ember Heritage to sell his own products, such as shirts and blankets.
“We’ve built this company vertically. So, at a point in our manufacturing chain, we can sell,” said Connelly.
Besides breaking into an untapped market, Connelly says bison shearing helps reduce waste, as it is a byproduct of the meat industry.
“If we don’t shear it, it goes to the tannery, and the tannery just uses chemicals to melt off the fiber to get to the leather,” he said.
End-to-end, Connelly says shearing bison benefits everyone involved.
“What we’re doing by basically renting the hide from them is adding value to the animal so the rancher gets more money when he brings the animal in on the hoof,” said Connelly.
“All the way around, everyone is doing better because we just added one more step,” he added.
If you’re interested in learning more about Ember Heritage, visit this link.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 13, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from June 13 drawing
03-13-44-50-53, Powerball: 02, Power Play: 4
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from June 13 drawing
06-13-31-35-48, Star Ball: 07, ASB: 05
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from June 13 drawing
05-11-14-31, Bonus: 03
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from June 13 drawing
24-55-56-57-67, Powerball: 15
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from June 13 drawing
08-28-40-43-44
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 13 drawing
03-05-11-13-49, Bonus: 01
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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