In Montana’s Western District Democratic primary, Ryan Busse leads in favorability and familiarity, with Christi Jacobsen ahead among Republican candidates, according to a new Montana Free Press-Eagleton poll of registered voters. 

Busse, a former Democratic candidate for governor, and Jacobsen, Montana’s secretary of state, were both on the ballot in 2024, when Busse won 43% of the votes in the 16 counties that comprise the Western District but only 38.6% of the total vote across the state. Jacobsen won 61.4% of the vote in her race, outperforming President Donald Trump. 

In the poll, conducted in late April and early May, 32% of respondents said they viewed Busse favorably and 27% said they viewed Jacobson favorably. But among Democrats, 75% of respondents said they had a favorable impression of Busse, while 55% said they had a favorable impression of Sam Forstag and 47% said they had a favorable view of Russell Cleveland, two of the other Democratic candidates. Among Republicans, Jacobson had a 41% favorability rating while candidate Aaron Flint had a 40% rating. 

Flint, a conservative radio talk show host, leads Republicans in first quarter fundraising and all candidates in PAC contributions. President Trump has also endorsed Flint, which could have some weight at the ballot box. According to the poll, 55% of Republican voters in the state are more likely to vote for a candidate if Trump has endorsed them. The other Republican in the race is Al ‘Doc’ Olszewski, a former state legislator and 2022 primary candidate for U.S. House, who received a 17% favorability rating among all Montanans and a 29% rating among Republicans.

In the Democratic race, Forstag, who leads all candidates in campaign spending, was unidentifiable to 53% of respondents, while Cleveland, who is only 1 of 2 candidates in the field to receive zero PAC contributions, was identifiable to 58% of voters. Matt Rains, the other candidate without PAC contributions, was unidentifiable by 60% of respondents.

The poll of Western District voters was conducted by the Rutgers-New Brunswick Eagleton Institute of Politics. The margin of error is +/-4.3%. Voters were not polled about Libertarian Nick Sheedy, or independent Kimberly Persico.

The MTFP–Eagleton poll surveyed 815 Montana registered voters who were invited by text message to complete an online survey. Data was collected from April 29, 2025, to May 7, 2026.

Participants were recruited using a probability-based method, meaning they were randomly drawn from the state’s registered voter file so every voter had a known chance of being invited. The results were weighted during analysis to reflect the demographics of Montana’s registered voters. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.3 percentage points. You can find more about the methodology here.

In 2018, a grizzly bear attacked hunter Anders Broste during a routine hunting trip just a few miles from his home near Columbia Falls, Montana. Broste told Outside what it’s like to survive a grizzly attack, and the lessons he’ll forever carry with him into the backcountry.

I never thought I’d come face-to-face with a grizzly bear in the wild.

When I did, it was a clear, November day in 2018 along the foothills of the Whitefish Range, a 76-mile-long mountain chain stretching from British Columbia, Canada, into northwestern Montana. Six inches of snow had fallen the night before, and I could see my breath with every exhale.

My friend Dan and I were going out for a quick, early morning elk hunt. I was fully aware that I was in bear country, but I play in this neck of the woods all the time. The foothills are my backyard, about five miles from my back door. I had even made plans to ski with my wife later in the day. But a routine hunting trip showed me the brutal reality of wilderness survival. Since first moving to Montana nine years earlier, I’d only come across a grizzly twice.

My hunting partner, Dan, split off from me so we could cover more ground–I had been in the area two weeks earlier and knew exactly where I wanted to look for elk. During the earlier trip, I had packed bear spray, but I forgot to bring my canister this time.

After Dan departed, I was on my own. I don’t know what prompted me to turn around—maybe I heard branches break—but when I looked over my shoulder, I saw a grizzly bear barreling at me from less than 100 feet away. Time froze, and my thoughts slowed down. Should I fire my rifle? No, there’s not enough time to get your glove off and finger on the trigger. I grabbed my firearm and shoved it between myself and the bear like a stick.

The bear crashed on top of me, bit my left hand, grabbed my right arm, started throwing me around, and shaking me like a rag doll. He then clamped his jaws around my left calf just above the ankle, rotating my entire leg 90 degrees, and began pulling me downhill.

I grabbed a branch, thinking, I’m not going to let this bear drag me off.

My leg extended unnaturally, and I said to myself, My leg isn’t supposed to move that way.

The bear bit down on the front of my foot, its canine tooth nicked between my big and little toes—you can still see the jaw marks on my mountain boots.

Then, the bear just dropped my foot and ran off. I’ll never forget its fuzzy brown butt running off into the distance. Time stood still.

Altogether, the encounter lasted no more than 30 seconds. I didn’t see my life flash before my eyes, but I remember thinking, This could be it.

I screamed for Dan.

I wasn’t scared of bleeding out, but my arm and leg were mangled. Dan rushed to me and built a makeshift brace for my broken wrist, thumb, and arm. My hand was also dislocated. There were major lacerations across my body. I grabbed a stick and attempted to put weight on my knee—it again bent 90 degrees. I later found out that my ACL, MCL, and meniscus were torn. My foot was only held to my lower leg by connective tissue.

Dan and I called search and rescue. It took the teams 45 minutes just to get to us, and I let out a big sigh of relief at the sight of the helicopter. But the terrain and snowfall made landing difficult, so they hoisted me out instead. I spent a week in the hospital, underwent three surgeries, and went through physical therapy for another three months.

I can’t quite run like I used to, but I’m more of a mountain biker anyway. I want to keep playing as long as I can, and I’m thankful my limbs still work.

Nearly every grizzly attack is an act of natural aggression, and in my case, we later learned the bear attacked me during a surprise encounter. I walked into its bedroom, and it rightfully charged me.

Through DNA analysis, Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP) traced the bear using routine tagging and told me its name was “Chubb.” He didn’t act unnaturally, and officials decided not to euthanize him.

I’ve since conducted field tests with FWP to track bears and document their lifestyles. Bears smell like dirt, and the size of their paws always leaves me in awe. They’re so big, and their skin is rough, almost like a Brillo pad. I can’t believe I survived.

Now, eight years after the attack, I acknowledge that I put myself at risk. It was a case of backyard complacency. I also don’t blame the bear for attacking me. I’m grateful the animal decided that I wasn’t a threat that required killing. I’ve since talked to other bear mauling survivors, or family members of attack victims, and every situation is different. I still go outside, and I know that I’m in bear country. I love Montana, and the bear is a symbol of the wildness of my home.

Am I more bear aware and prepared now? Sure. But my biggest piece of advice for anyone recreating in bear country is to take your time, carry bear spray, and practice routine safety. I was extremely fortunate, and you never know what’s going to happen. Don’t let things hold you back, understand the risks, and be respectful of the environments you visit.

As told to Madison Dapcevich. This interview was edited for space and content.

The Transparent Election Initiative (TEI) today launched sign.montanaplan.org, a website that guides Montana voters through submitting their own signatures for ballot measure I-194, also called “The Montana Plan,” which aims to eliminate corporate political spending and dark money influence in Montana elections.

The “Print, Sign, Submit” process is designed to make signature gathering more accessible to rural voters & households across Montana.

The new website provides a printable page and detailed instructions for signing and mailing signatures. Registered Montana voters can review the initiative text, print out the official I-194 petition form and unsworn declaration, sign the petition, complete an unsworn declaration, then mail their signed form and declaration to TEI’s P.O. Box in Helena. TEI has confirmed that self-witnessed and mailed signatures are legal and valid with the Secretary of State.

“Every Montanan deserves to have their voice heard. ‘Print, Sign, Submit’ allows rural communities to stand up to dark money without having to travel to an in-person signing location,” says Jeff Mangan, founder of the Transparent Election Initiative. “This process represents TEI’s commitment to accessibility and representation of all Montana voters.”

And it also allows those who simply want an easy way to sign & participate in direct democracy as afforded by Montana’s Constitution!

Signatures are necessary to put I-194 on the statewide ballot in November; they are not a vote for the measure. If passed, “The Montana Plan” would redefine the powers granted by the state of Montana to corporations and other artificial entities, preventing them from spending money to influence elections.

The Transparent Election Initiative is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring democratic integrity by eliminating corporate and dark money influence in elections through constitutional reform and public education. Mail to The Montana Plan, PO Box 1953, Helena, MT 59624.