Montana

Montana has an official state sport — rodeo – East Idaho News

Published

11 months ago

March 29, 2025

Montana has an official state sport — rodeo – East Idaho News

HELENA, Montana (Daily Montanan) — Once Gov. Greg Gianforte affixes his signature to House Bill 190, Montana will become the fourth state to adopt American Rodeo as the official state sport.

Other states have adopted official sports representing a facet of their heritage, ranging from the common – baseball in New York — to the increasingly popular — pickleball in Washington — to the less traditional — pack burro racing in Colorado, and dog mushing in Alaska.

During the last week the Legislature took its final votes on HB 190 and the bill will head to the governor’s desk for a signature.

Sen. Wendy McKamey, R-Great Falls, carried the bill in the Senate and wore her paisley scarf on the floor last Saturday when she spoke about the bill, because “this is more rodeo than almost anything else.”

“I don’t know that I can convey, really, how fun rodeo is here in the Senate chamber,” McKamey said.

“This is very unique in that it represents our heritage, the outdoors, and it’s an opportunity to have have a really unique statement about our state,” she added.

Some senators voiced their opposition to the bill — Sen. Daniel Emrich, R-Great Falls, said that more Montanans hunt than rodeo, and Sen. Susan Webber, D-Browning, objected to the bill not specifically including Native American components.

“I just had hoped that they would have included the Indian Relay, which is a few centuries old here as part of this bill,” Webber said. “But we do have an Indian rodeo circuit that goes along with the National Rodeo Association. I just wish they would have done a little bit more.”

The bill was supported by the Montana American Indian Caucus, as well as by the congressional delegation and all six of Montanan’s statewide elected officials.

Larry Chambers visited the Montana Capitol to support making rodeo the state sport of Montana. (Micah Drew/Daily Montanan)

“There’s nothing better than a good rodeo all summer long. And the fine senator in the back near Kalispell said they have it all winter long going there,” Sen. Butch Gillespie, R-Ethbridge, said. “And as far as the Indian rodeos … nothing’s better than their rodeos and and the relay races, and they happen all over the place also. So let’s not let the other western states get the drop on us here.”

The Senate passing the measure 40-9, with an amendment making the law effective immediately. The House on Wednesday concurred with the amendment with only two votes in opposition.

Five colleges in Montana, including Montana State University, have rodeo clubs or teams. MSU hosted the collegiate rodeo finals for 24 years, until they moved briefly to South Dakota in the 1990s and then to Casper, Wyoming where they are still held.

At the high school level, Montana qualified 100 contestants to the National High School Rodeo Finals from the state championships held in Kalispell last J—une.

American Rodeo now joins the pantheon of state symbols, next to the duck-billed dinosaur (state fossil), Scobey soil (state soil), bitterroot (state floral emblem), blackspotted cutthroat trout (state fish), bluebunch wheatgrass (state grass), grizzly bear (state animal), and “Montana Melody” (state ballad) among others.

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Montana

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

Published

3 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

15 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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