Montana

Democratic senator refuses to endorse Kamala Harris: ‘Two reasons’

Published

2 years ago

August 23, 2024

Democratic senator refuses to endorse Kamala Harris: ‘Two reasons’

Democratic Senator Jon Tester of Montana gave two reasons as to why he won’t endorse a presidential candidate, including Vice President Kamala Harris, who is set to accept the party’s nomination tonight at the Democratic National Convention (DNC).

Tester, who faces a contentious battle for Montana’s Senate seat against Donald Trump-backed Republican Tim Sheehy, didn’t attend the four-day DNC in Chicago, Illinois. Instead, he opted to campaign in his home state. Tester is a three-term, moderate senator. His opponent, Sheehy, is a former Navy SEAL and an entrepreneur.

“I’m not going to endorse for the presidential and I will tell you why, because two reasons,” Tester said during a press conference in Hamilton, Montana on Thursday, according to The Independent Record of Helena.

“No. 1, I’m focused on my race. And No. 2, folks want to nationalize this race, and this isn’t about national politics, this is about Montana. It’s about making sure we have a Montanan back in Washington, D.C., representing Montana values. And so that’s why,” the local outlet reported.

He also reportedly said that he didn’t attend the DNC for “two reasons,” noting that he should be harvesting at his farm and because the rock band Pearl Jam “is kind enough to do a little concert…and I’d like to think they did it because I’m up for re-election.”

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) speaks with reporters inside the U.S. Capitol Building on February 27, 2024 in Washington, DC. Tester said he won’t support Harris’ bid for president.

AFP/Getty Images

The Cook Political Report marks Montana’s race as a “toss up,” and aggregate polls, such as The Hill show a close race, with Sheehy leading Tester by a 2-percentage point margin. Other individual polls have shown Tester leading at times.

Tester is the only Democratic member of the state’s congressional delegation. Trump won Montana in 2020 by 16 points.

Newsweek reached out to Tester’s campaign for comment and confirmation via email on Thursday night.

The Senate is currently controlled by Democrats, who hold 47 seats but four independents caucus with the party, giving them a 51-seat majority, while Republicans hold 49. November’s election could change control of the chamber, and Montana’s Senate race is being closely watched as a potential tipping point.

With the GOP widely expected to flip the West Virginia seat held by outgoing independent Senator Joe Manchin, the results of the presidential election between Trump and Harris and the outcome of the Montana Senate race could be deciding factors for how the next Congress operates.

The presidential race is also neck-and-neck with several aggregate polls showing Harris leading in the national vote but in a deadlock with former President Trump in battleground states.

However, the popular vote does not necessarily translate to the 270 Electoral College votes needed to clinch the White House.

State polls, especially swing and battleground states, are often more reflective of how a candidate might secure the necessary votes to win the White House.

Follow Newsweek‘s live DNC blog for updates here.

Update 8/22/24 at 9:25 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include additional context.

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Montana

Montana Lottery Powerball, Lotto America results for March 2, 2026

Published

1 hour ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

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

Here’s a look at March 2, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing

02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from March 2 drawing

03-08-17-24-34, Star Ball: 06, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from March 2 drawing

06-12-19-29, Bonus: 11

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from March 2 drawing

21-28-58-65-67, Powerball: 25

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 2 drawing

28-41-42-50-55, Bonus: 02

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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Montana

Apparent AI Glitch in Filing by Montana Public Defender, Recent Congressional Candidate

Published

13 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Apparent AI Glitch in Filing by Montana Public Defender, Recent Congressional Candidate

Everyone makes mistakes, even experienced professionals; a good reminder for the rest of us to learn from those mistakes. The motion in State v. Stroup starts off well in its initial pages (no case law hallucinations), but is then followed by several pages of two other motions, which I don’t think the lawyer was planning to file, and which appear to have been AI-generated: It begins with the “Below is concise motion language you can drop into …” language quoted above.

Griffen Smith (Missoulian) reported on the story, and included the prosecutor’s motion to strike that filing, on the grounds that it violates a local rule (3(G)) requiring disclosure of the use of generative AI:

The document does not include a generative artificial intelligence disclosure as required. However, page 7 begins as follows: “Below is concise motion language you can drop into a ‘Motion to Admit Mental-Disease Evidence and for Related Instructions’ keyed to 45-6-204, 45-6-201, and 4614-102. Adjust headings/captions to your local practice.” Page 10 states “Below is a full motion you can paste into your pleading, then adjust names, dates, and styles to fit local practice.” These pages also include several apparent hyperlinks to “ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws,” “ppl-ai-fileupload.s3.amazonaws+1,” and others. The document includes what appears to be an attempt at a second case caption on page 12. It is not plausible on its face that any source other than generative AI would have created such language for a filed version of a brief….

There’s more in that filing, but here’s one passage:

While generative AI can be a useful tool for some purposes and may have greater application in the future, when used improperly, and without meaningful review, it can ultimately damage both the perception and the reality of the profession. One assumes that Mr. Stroup has had, or will at some point have, an opportunity to review the filing made on his behalf. What impression could a review of pgs. 12-19 leave upon a defendant who struggles with paranoia and delusional thinking? While AI could theoretically one day become a replacement for portions of staff of experienced attorneys, it is readily apparent that this day has not yet arrived.

The Missoulan article includes this response:

In a Wednesday interview, Office of Public Defender Division Administrator Brian Smith told the Missoulian the AI-generated language was inadvertently included in an unrelated filing. And he criticized the county attorney’s office for filing a “four-page diatribe about the dangers of AI” instead of working with the defense to correct her mistake.
“That’s not helping the client or the case,” Smith said, “and all you are doing is trying to throw a professional colleague under the bus.”

As I mentioned, the lawyer involved seems quite experienced, and ran for the Montana Public Service Commission in 2020 (getting nearly 48% of the vote) and for the House of Representatives in Montana’s first district in 2022 (getting over 46% of the vote) and in 2024 (getting over 44%). “Его пример другим наука,” Pushkin wrote in Eugene Onegin—”May his example profit others,” in the Falen translation.

Thanks to Matthew Monforton for the pointer.

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