GOP primaries set to shape Montana Legislature

HELENA — Republicans have held a strong majority within the Montana Legislature for greater than a decade, and that sample seems more likely to proceed in 2022. Meaning GOP primaries may play a giant function in how subsequent 12 months’s legislative session performs out.

Throughout 100 Home races and 26 Senate races statewide, 31 function two or extra Republicans competing within the June major. 9 incumbent Republican lawmakers are dealing with major challengers. Within the remaining 22 races, a number of Republicans are operating to interchange a departing incumbent or problem a Democrat.

The contested races are unfold throughout the state, from Miles Metropolis to Mineral County. Eight of them are within the Flathead alone.

One notable contest is the one one within the state the place two incumbent Republicans are dealing with off: Reps. Geraldine Custer and Barry Usher are each operating to signify Senate District 20 in Jap Montana. Every of them at the moment represents half of the district, which incorporates all of Musselshell and Treasure Counties and elements of Rosebud, Yellowstone and Custer Counties. Incumbent Sen. Duane Ankney, R-Colstrip, is termed-out and couldn’t run once more.

Custer lives close to Forsyth. She served greater than 30 years because the clerk and recorder of Rosebud County, earlier than being elected to the state Home in 2014, the place she’s served 4 phrases. She factors to her household background in agriculture, her information of the problems dealing with the district and her native authorities expertise.

Custer says Ankney inspired her to run for his seat. Each of them have been linked to the “Options Caucus,” a gaggle of Republicans identified to interrupt with occasion leaders and work with Democrats on sure points. In the course of the 2021 session, Custer voted towards Republican-sponsored payments to get rid of Election Day voter registration, to determine partisan judicial elections and to maintain transgender athletes off women’ sports activities groups.

“I really feel like, as a candidate, that you just’re despatched there to not compromise your personal values, and undoubtedly to vote for what’s good on your space,” Custer mentioned. “In case you’ve achieved that, I feel on the finish of the day you possibly can relaxation simple, and I really feel like that’s what I do. Typically, sure, it goes towards what the occasion does, however I really feel like my expertise is why I can get up.”

Custer says she’s open to some new concepts on election legislation, however she’s assured Montana’s elections are safe. She additionally says she trusts judges within the state to behave impartially and doesn’t see a necessity for in depth adjustments to judicial elections. A number of the high priorities she identifies are addressing rising property taxes, housing and labor shortages, baby care availability and the financial transition round Colstrip.

Usher is a enterprise proprietor, working dealerships like Beartooth Harley-Davidson and Beartooth Mahindra close to Billings, the place he sells bikes, tractors and off-road autos. He unsuccessfully challenged Ankney in a Senate major in 2014, then was elected to the Home in 2016 and has held the seat for 3 phrases.

Usher has been a staunch conservative within the Legislature, and he factors to his voting report when encouraging GOP major voters to help him. He argued Custer has damaged with the Republican occasion line much more than the opposite Options Caucus members.

“I feel it’s fairly simple and clear; you simply should lookup our voting data,” he mentioned. “We differ on nearly all of our votes. I’m clearly a conservative Republican voting Montana values, and my opponent just isn’t.”

Usher says he’s seen constituents dropping religion within the state’s election system, and he favors extra restrictions on voter ID and registration as measures to make sure integrity. He argues the Montana Supreme Courtroom and district judges have put themselves above different branches of presidency, and he supported proposals to make judicial elections partisan and elect Supreme Courtroom justices by district as a substitute of at-large.

Usher recognized inflation and property taxes as the most important points for folks in his district. He additionally says he’s targeted on felony justice, together with addressing facets of a 2017 reform package deal that he believes have hindered the justice system.

In Home District 97, which covers Lolo and rural elements of Missoula County, two Republicans are operating to interchange the termed-out Rep. Brad Tschida, a distinguished conservative who’s now operating for state Senate.

Lyn Hellegaard is government director of Missoula Ravalli Transportation Administration Affiliation and the Montana Transit Affiliation. She additionally served one time period on the Missoula Metropolis Council from 2008 to 2011. She says her work has given her expertise working with legislators and being a part of the lawmaking course of.

Hellegaard says she’s most involved about inflation and rising property taxes. She needs the state to concentrate on boosting useful resource growth as a method to cut back the burden on property homeowners.

Hellegaard, together with Tschida, has additionally been concerned with an effort by Missoula County activists that alleged there have been discrepancies within the 2020 election and mentioned they discovered a number of thousand mail ballots couldn’t be matched with envelopes. She says there are loopholes in state election legislation that must be modified to make sure safety.

Missoula County election officers have mentioned the activists’ declare is inaccurate, and that every one 2020 ballots have been correctly licensed.

Michael Burks owns a number of companies in Montana, Idaho and Washington. He’s additionally a volunteer pilot and “wing chief” with Angel Flight West, a corporation that arranges free flights for folks in want of well being care or different help.

MTN reached out to Burks a number of occasions, however didn’t obtain a response from him. In a press release on his web site asserting his candidacy, he recognized property taxes, the price of residing, crime charges and homelessness as a number of the points that must be addressed.

In a March put up on his marketing campaign Fb web page, Burks pushed again on claims about election integrity. He mentioned a second rely of 2020 ballots, carried out with county GOP volunteers watching, discovered lower than 100 ballots. He mentioned the outcomes confirmed no proof of corruption, and he urged voters to take part on this 12 months’s election – and belief their ballots will probably be counted.

Hellegaard says she believes there’s room for Republicans to work their disagreements out inside the occasion.

“That’s one factor that I like about that physique, is you possibly can have a differing opinion and get these arguments and discussions out, which helps our constituents perceive what’s occurring,” she mentioned. “I’m for the dialogue – and that’s one factor in regards to the Republicans, we usually don’t vote the occasion line.”

Here’s a full checklist of Montana legislative districts with contested Republican races:

• Home District 3 (Columbia Falls, West Glacier and jap Flathead County): Incumbent Rep. Braxton Mitchell, Lorena Wooden
• Home District 5 (Whitefish): Lyn Bennett, Brian Owens
• Home District 7 (Kalispell): Dave Ingram, Courtenay Sprunger
• Home District 8 (Kalispell): Former Rep. David Dunn, Terry Falk, Lynne Ogden Rider, Mark Twichel
• Home District 9 (Kalispell and Evergreen): David August, Tony Brockman, Constance Neumann
• Home District 11 (Somers and Lakeside): Devon Decker, Ronalee Skees, Tanner Smith
• Home District 14 (Mineral County and elements of Sanders and Missoula Counties): Incumbent Rep. Denley Loge, Randy Mitchell
• Home District 15 (Elements of CSKT and Blackfeet reservations): Ralph Foster, Betsy Johnson
• Home District 17 (Teton County and elements of Lewis and Clark and Pondera Counties): Incumbent Rep. Ross Fitzgerald, Justin Cleveland
• Home District 26 (Nice Falls): Marci Marceau, George Nikolakakos
• Home District 30 (Central Montana): James Bergstrom, Randyn Gregg
• Home District 38 (Miles Metropolis): Wyatt Winchester English, Greg Kmetz, Mike Willems
• Home District 40 (Musselshell County and northern Yellowstone County): Bob Goffena, Bruce Hoiland, John Nickelson, Greg Oblander
• Home District 55 (Laurel): Lee Deming, Curtis Schomer
• Home District 65 (Bozeman): James Cocco, Ryan Eisele
• Home District 68 (Belgrade): Incumbent Rep. Caleb Hinkle, former Rep. Bruce Grubbs
• Home District 75 (Jefferson County): Incumbent Rep. Marta Bertoglio, Tim McKenrick
• Home District 78 (Anaconda and Deer Lodge): Incumbent Rep. Gregory Frazer, Steven Grant
• Home District 81 (Helena): Charlie Hull, Jill Sark
• Home District 84 (Helena and East Helena): Kurt Aughney, Keith Pigman, Kaitlyn Ruch
• Home District 86 (Hamilton): Incumbent Rep. David Bedey, Jeffrey Jones
• Home District 88 (Northern Ravalli County): Alan Lackey, Wayne Rusk
• Home District 97 (Lolo and different outlying areas of Missoula County): Michael Burks, Lyn Hellegaard
• Senate District 4 (Kalispell): Rep. John Fuller, Lee Huestis
• Senate District 5 (Flathead County): Rep. Mark Noland, Rob Tracy
• Senate District 12 (Nice Falls): Rep. Wendy McKamey, Desma Meissner
• Senate District 14 (North-central Montana): Incumbent Sen. Russ Tempel, Steven Chvilicek
• Senate District 20 (Jap Montana): Rep. Geraldine Custer, Rep. Barry Usher
• Senate District 34 (Belgrade): Bryan Donald Haysom, Shelley Vance
• Senate District 43 (Southern Ravalli County): Incumbent Sen. Jason Ellsworth, Joede Vanek
• Senate District 49 (Missoula County): Nancy Burgoyne, Rep. Brad Tschida