Montana

National Democrats See Pickup Potential in Montana’s Western House District – Flathead Beacon

Published

2 weeks ago

February 12, 2026

National Democrats See Pickup Potential in Montana’s Western House District – Flathead Beacon

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) named Montana’s western House district to its list of “Districts in Play” for the 2026 election cycle Tuesday, but didn’t endorse a specific candidate in the crowded Democratic primary. The seat is one of 44 currently held by Republicans the DCCC thinks could be within reach for Democrats this November.

Political analysts have long speculated Montana’s western district, which includes the Democratic strongholds of Bozeman and Missoula, could be competitive for Democrats. The Cook Political Report ranks Montana’s first congressional district as “likely Republican,” while it ranks the eastern district and U.S. Senate races as solidly Republican.

The DCCC’s involvement in the race brings a national spotlight and training opportunities as four Democratic hopefuls compete for the chance to take on Rep. Ryan Zinke in November’s general election. While candidate filing for the primary remains open until March 4, Zinke has yet to draw a primary challenger.

The four-person Democratic primary field includes Ryan Busse, the party’s 2024 gubernatorial candidate; Russell Cleveland, a rancher from St. Regis; Sam Forstag, a wildland firefighter and union leader from Missoula; and Matt Rains, a rancher from Simms, just outside the district’s lines. This year’s primary election will take place June 2.

U.S Rep. Ryan Zinke and Glacier National Park Superintendent David Roemer participate in a presentation at the Lake McDonald Lodge Auditorium on Aug. 20, 2025. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon

Montana gained the western district following 2020’s census, and the first election the district was in play was 2022. But Democrats have come up short since Montana gained the seat back.

In both 2022 and 2024, Zinke faced off against Monica Tranel, a Missoula attorney and former Olympic rower. Tranel came within four points of Zinke in 2022. In 2024, her campaign earned a nod from the DCCC. But Zinke widened his margin of victory between 2022 and 2024, besting Tranel by seven points in the latter year. His campaign manager highlighted that margin when asked about the DCCC’s involvement in this year’s election.

“Montana can’t be bought by D.C. libs’ dark money,” said Heather Swift, Zinke’s campaign manager. “It didn’t work in ’24 and won’t work this year. Despite more than $10 million in attack ads against Zinke, Montanans doubled down on their support when they reelected him by double the margin.”

Zinke, a long-time politician, first served a stint as Montana’s at-large congressman from 2015 to 2017. President Donald Trump tapped Zinke to serve in his cabinet as Secretary of the Interior during his first administration, a position Zinke held from 2017 to 2018. And, he has won in the western district since its creation, carving out a brand as a Republican willing to take a stand for public lands. His bid for re-election has already earned an endorsement from Trump.

Still, to Zinke’s Democratic challengers, the DCCC’s involvement in the race indicates his vulnerability. Busse, who ran for governor in 2024, pointed to a poll his campaign released when it launched as evidence. The poll showed Busse with a 47%-43% lead over Zinke among 424 likely voters in western Montana. That lead was within the poll’s 4.76% margin of error.

As the candidates begin hitting the campaign trail, universally, they said they’ve heard about issues like housing, healthcare and affordability. It’s on those issues that they hope to draw a distinction from the incumbent, who they say hasn’t represented Montanans’ interests on those issues in Congress.

“I’m glad the national Democrats see what Montanans have known for years — Ryan Zinke is a coward of a congressman who doesn’t show up to represent or face his constituents, and folks here are ready for a new generation of leadership,” said Forstag, one of the candidates looking to face Zinke. “Montana families have been left behind by politicians in D.C., and I’m running to finally start fixing our broken systems of housing, healthcare, and childcare.”

Cleveland, who has been in the race since April, and Rains, the rancher from Simms, each seconded the idea that Montanans are ready for a change — though they also highlighted that Montanans will be the ones who ultimately make that choice.

“This race is not going to be dictated by Washington, it will be decided by Montanans that are struggling to get by with rising health care costs, lack of affordable housing and tariffs that threaten our way of life,” Rains said. “… We need a candidate that will stand up for Montana values and appeal to those who feel like they’ve been written off, regardless of political party. We need a candidate who can win.”

“National attention can be helpful, but this race will and should be decided by Montanans, not Washington D.C. consultants, dark money groups or out of touch politicians,” Cleveland said. “As a Navy veteran and business leader, I believe real representation can only be restored through service and accountability, by building trust and consistently showing up. Flipping this seat is only possible by putting working Montanans first.”

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Montana

Evacuation orders issued as 5,000-acre wildfire burns near Roundup, Montana

Published

4 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Evacuation orders issued as 5,000-acre wildfire burns near Roundup, Montana

ROUNDUP, Mont. —
The Rehder Creek Fire is burning 16 miles southeast of Roundup has grown to about 5,000 acres, prompting evacuation orders for residents in the Bruner Mountain Area/Subdivision.

The fire started Feb. 26, the cause is unknown and containment was at 0%.

Evacuation orders are in effect for all residents in the Bruner Mountain Area/Subdivision. The Musselshell County Sheriff’s Office is coordinating the evacuation orders, and 911 reverse calls have been sent out to advise people in the area.

A shelter is opening at the Roundup Community Center. Residents were told to contact Musselshell County DES for further information.

Firefighter and public safety remain the top priority. The public is asked to avoid the Fattig Creek and Rehder Road area so emergency personnel can safely and effectively perform their work.

Fire resources assigned to the incident include 40 total personnel, 11 engines, one Type 2 helicopter, three tenders and two dozers.

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Montana

February 26 recap: Missoula and Western Montana news you may have missed today

Published

16 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

February 26 recap: Missoula and Western Montana news you may have missed today

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Montana

Escobar, Jayapal, Members of Congress Call on Camp East Montana to be Shut Down – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Escobar, Jayapal, Members of Congress Call on Camp East Montana to be Shut Down – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) – joined by Representative Pramila Jayapal, the Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, and 22 other Members of Congress – sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons calling for the immediate closure of Camp East Montana in El Paso. They cite urgent humanitarian concerns following multiple deaths in custody, documented unsafe conditions, and serious deficiencies in medical care.

This marks the fourth letter Congresswoman Escobar has sent to DHS and ICE leadership. The previous three letters have gone unanswered.

The letter can be found in its entirety below and here.

“Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons:

We are urgently calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS or the Department) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to shut down Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas.

Camp East Montana has been operational for six months, and at least three people have died at the site since December 2025: Francisco Gaspar-Andres, Geraldo Lunas Campos, and Victor Manuel Diaz. The El Paso County Medical Examiner has officially ruled Lunas Campos’ death a homicide, citing “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression.”

Camp East Montana was constructed in a matter of weeks and opened before construction was complete and it does not have enough federal staff on-site to provide adequate oversight. Over the last several months, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, in whose district this facility is located, has sent multiple letters to DHS and ICE regarding concerns about the conditions at Camp East Montana, and has received no responses.

According to detainees, there have been constant and consistent problems at the facility since it opened, beginning with the facility’s poor construction and poor ambient temperature control. Upon opening, the drinking water at Camp East Montana tasted foul and made some detainees sick. Detainees continue to be served inadequate meals, including food that is rotten or frozen; last fall, the facility was also consistently failing to make dietary accommodations for detainees. Detainees have shared that they have sporadic access to outside spaces and recreational areas, and that their dormitory pods are cleaned only once every eight days, despite pods housing up to 72 people at a time. Laundry services are not consistent, and people are washing their clothes in the facility showers. Additionally, the facility experiences flooding and sewage backups when it rains, leading to stagnant water.

One of the biggest concerns with the Camp East Montana facility is the inadequate medical care being provided to detainees. Our offices have heard that only the most ill detainees are referred to the medical unit and that there are inconsistencies as to how soon after arriving detainees are able to undergo initial medical screenings. Detainees with chronic health issues who rely on regimented medications for their health have had difficulty accessing necessary medications, including blood pressure medication and insulin.

At least one of the deaths that occurred in ICE custody, the death of Francisco Gaspar-Andres, appears to partially be the result of poor medical care by staff at the facility. According to ICE’s own account, Gaspar-Andres sought medical attention from facility staff for increasingly serious symptoms, but was only transferred to an area hospital once his condition had severely deteriorated.

In addition to our concerns about poor medical care, we are also aware that detainees have experienced irregular access to their legal counsel, including instances of detainees having only two minutes allotted per phone call every 8 days, which is contrary to ICE’s Detention Standards on access to counsel, and that the belatedly created law library lacks adequate resources for the amount of people currently held at the facility. In January 2026, ICE announced the on-site death of Geraldo Lunas Campos “after experiencing medical distress.” ICE opened an investigation into the death, but did not provide a cause of death. However, The Washington Post later reported that another man detained at Camp East Montana had witnessed guards choking Lunas Campos when he refused to enter a segregated housing unit. Weeks later, the El Paso County Medical Examiner ruled that Lunas Campos had experienced “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression” and ruled his death a homicide.

Lunas Campos is the first detainee to die at Camp East Montana as a result of a use-of-force incident, but we are strongly concerned that he will not be the last if ICE is allowed to continue operating Camp East Montana.

ICE was given $45 billion in taxpayer dollars in the reconciliation bill, $1.2 billion of which were awarded to Acquisition Logistics, LLC, a company with no previous experience managing immigration detention facilities, to build and oversee Camp East Montana. However, in the wake of three deaths in custody so far, continued concerns about conditions at the facility, and ICE’s apparent disinterest in responding to oversight letters from Congress, we do not believe Camp East Montana is being run professionally or responsibly.

Camp East Montana must be shut down. For the safety of everyone at the facility, for an end to abuses to detainees, and for fiscal responsibility to the American people, the site cannot continue to operate. We are calling on DHS and ICE to move to immediately close operations at Camp East Montana.

We look forward to hearing from the Department promptly on this matter.

The other co-signers include Representatives Yassamin Ansari, Nanette Barragán, Yvette Clarke, Lloyd Doggett, Maxwell Frost, Jesús “Chuy” García, Sylvia Garcia, Daniel Goldman, Jimmy Gomez, Henry Johnson, Stephen Lynch, Seth Moulton, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Delia Ramirez, Andrea Salinas, Janice Schakowsky, Darren Soto, Rashida Tlaib, Paul Tonko, Lauren Underwood, Gabe Vasquez, and Nydia Velázquez.

Issues: Immigration

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