Montana
Port: Montana congressman threatens legal action over former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp's comments
MINOT — Here’s something I didn’t expect to be writing about today.
Recently, U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Montana,
dropped out of that state’s Senate race.
In a statement, Rosendale said the “hill was too steep” after several other Montana Republicans — notably U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, Gov. Greg Gianforte and U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke — lined up behind his primary opponent Tim Sheehy.
The incumbent in the race is Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat.
But former North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp thinks she knows another far more prurient reason for Rosendale dropping out that has nothing to do with political calculus. “Just to gossip a little bit: There’s a reason why Rosendale backed out of that Senate race — the rumor is he impregnated a 20-year-old staff person,” she said on an episode of the Talking Feds podcast.
That is a very specific and very prejudicial thing to say based on nothing more than a rumor.
As you might expect, Rosendale’s campaign refuted the claim and is promising legal action. “This is 100% false and defamatory and former Senator Heitkamp will be hearing from our lawyers soon,” Ron Kovach, a spokesman for Rosendale,
said in a statement provided to Politico.
Since losing a U.S. Senate seat Democrats had held since the Eisenhower administration, most of Heitkamp’s public work has consisted of being a B-list pundit on various cable news shows and podcasts and acting as a sort of
rube whisperer
for Democrats trying to figure out why they can’t win in rural America. Her qualifications for the latter endeavor are dubious, given that her expertise as an expert on rural voters is built on
barely winning
one statewide election in North Dakota in almost 30 years.
Responsible person that I am, I don’t care to speculate about the rumor Heitkamp regurgitated on the podcast. Sex scandals in politics happen with such frequency that they’re cliche, though that’s not a defense for repeating unsubstantiated rumors about them. Nor does it diminish their seriousness when they do happen.
We do have, in the public record, several examples of Heitkamp doing and saying wildly stupid things — from her
outing of sexual assault survivors
during a ham-handed attack on her opponent, Kevin Cramer, during the waning days of her failed 2018 reelection campaign to her decision to use “body language” to judge the veracity of Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s refutation of unsubstantiated claims of sexual assault made against him.
Heitkamp herself said she may be “subject to defamation” for calling actor Gina Carano a “Nazi”
during a 2021 appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher.
Perhaps working in rumor and vicious innuendo runs in the family, given her brother Joel Heitkamp’s body of work as a talk radio host.
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.
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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