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Senate sweepstakes take a turn as Democrats dealt gift with Montana but suffer blow with Maryland

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Senate sweepstakes take a turn as Democrats dealt gift with Montana but suffer blow with Maryland


It was a consequential week for the 2024 race for control of the Senate, where Democrats were dealt both a political gift and a new challenge in races in Montana and Maryland as they attempt to hold on to their slim Senate majority.

Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) announced Friday that he will run for Senate in Montana, defying the wishes of national Republicans and setting up a contentious primary to take on vulnerable Democratic Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT). Meanwhile, in Maryland, Republican Larry Hogan, the popular former governor, said he plans to run for the state’s open Senate seat, potentially making the race to replace Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) more competitive than previously thought. 

In Montana, Republicans had hoped to avoid a bitter primary in what they see as a must-win state. Tim Sheehy already has the backing of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and also received a key endorsement from former President Donald Trump hours after Rosendale announced his decision to jump into the race.

While Trump stopped short of going after Rosendale, Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), the chairman of the NRSC, had harsher criticism for the Montana congressman who failed to unseat Tester once before in 2018.

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“It’s unfortunate that rather than building seniority for our great state in the House, Matt is choosing to abandon his seat and create a divisive primary,” he said in a statement. “Whichever party wins the Montana Senate seat will control the United States Senate in 2024, and Republicans cannot risk nominating a candidate who gave Jon Tester the biggest victory of his career.”

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Democrats celebrated Rosendale’s entrance into the race, calling it a “nightmare” scenario for Republicans.

“The NRSC’s Montana nightmare just came true as their plans to avoid a nasty, expensive primary came crashing down around them,” said Tommy Garcia, a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesman. “Whichever candidate emerges from their bruising intraparty fight will be deeply damaged and abhorrent to the voters that decide the general election.”

Tester is one of the most vulnerable Democrats up for reelection in 2024, in a state Trump easily won twice. Jon Reinish, a Democratic strategist, said he believes the race will be a competitive one but that this primary improves Tester’s chances of getting reelected.

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“There is now going to be an expensive, hard-fought, and nasty primary on the Right. Sheehy will now have to concentrate on defeating Rosendale,” Reinish said. “Jon Tester is never breathing easy, but he’s walking a little lighter today.”

There are 34 Senate seats up for grabs in the 2024 election cycle. Of these, Democrats must defend 23, compared to just 11 for Republicans, and nearly all competitive seats are currently held by Democrats, putting them on the defensive as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) tries to maintain his slim majority. A state almost no one thought would be competitive is Maryland.

Hogan is expected to easily win the Republican nomination for the seat that’s open after Cardin announced his retirement. On the Democratic side, Rep. David Trone (D-MD) is facing off against Angela Alsobrooks, the executive of Prince George’s County. 

While Reinish said Hogan’s entrance into the race is a major boost for Republicans, the state will still be difficult for the GOP to flip.

“Hogan was a popular governor. However, while Maryland, like Massachusetts, like Vermont, all really blue states, will sometimes, not infrequently, break that partisan rank at the home, statewide level and elect a moderate Republican attorney general or governor, Maryland has not sent a Republican to the Senate in decades,” he said. 

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“You consider it the best recruitment Republicans have had in Maryland in decades, but it will be incredibly uphill for him,” Reinish added. “But, Democrats will now have to pay attention to Maryland, which they did not think they would have to do.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER 

David Bergstein, a spokesman for the DSCC, said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Hogan would face a challenge: “Democrats have won every statewide federal election in Maryland for 44 years and 2024 will be no different,” he wrote.

Democrats and the independents who caucus with them hold 51 seats in the chamber. Of the Senate Democrats up for reelection, seven are in states that went for Trump in 2016, 2020, or both. There are no Republican seats up in states won by either Hillary Clinton in 2016 or President Joe Biden in 2020.





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Montana Lottery Powerball, Lotto America results for June 20, 2026

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The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at June 20, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from June 20 drawing

16-20-44-48-50, Powerball: 15, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Lotto America numbers from June 20 drawing

08-14-31-41-52, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 03

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from June 20 drawing

09-22-25-26, Bonus: 11

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Montana Cash numbers from June 20 drawing

05-22-28-30-34

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Check Montana Cash 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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Planning For Life After Coal Cost a Montana County Commissioner His Seat – Inside Climate News

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Planning For Life After Coal Cost a Montana County Commissioner His Seat – Inside Climate News


Robert Pancratz couldn’t believe it. 

The Musselshell County commissioner had been defeated in the Republican primary for his seat by a two-to-one margin earlier this month. Mark Olson, who lives in Musselshell and serves as the undersheriff in Golden Valley County, won by 26 percentage points.

“That just blew me away,” Pancratz said. “All of my campaign, I had not a hint that there was that much opposition.”

At stake, from Pancratz’s perspective, is the fiscal future of his community, which includes Roundup, Montana, home to Montana’s only longwall coal mine. The mine, owned and operated by Signal Peak Energy, sits on the eastern side of the continental divide in a staunchly conservative part of the state, where its presence provides jobs and its profits generate taxable revenue for local governments. (The vast majority of its coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, goes to markets in Asia.)

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But that revenue could potentially be diminished by tens of millions, according to calculations by Pancratz, if a bill introduced by U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., passes Congress. The Crow Revenue Act would convey federally held coal to Signal Peak through a land transfer to a private intermediary, depriving Musselshell County of its share of the taxes Signal Peak Energy pays to mine coal on federal land. 

If the Crow Revenue Act does not pass Congress, Signal Peak says it could be forced to shut down if it loses a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana challenging the “energy emergency” the Trump administration used to grant the mine access to federal coal. That outcome would wipe out all the mine’s tax revenue and hundreds of jobs, the company claims. This month’s election hinged on Pancratz’s position on the bill and, by extension, the mine. 

Musselshell County’s three commissioners, Mike Goffena, Mike Turley and Pancratz support keeping the mine open. But they also fear Musselshell County would need to raise taxes and cut services to balance its books if the Crow Revenue Act passes as written. After studying the county’s finances, Pancratz, who works as a risk analyst consultant, concluded that the county could lose as much as $11.6 million if the Crow Revenue Act passes and the price of coal is high. The commissioners have lobbied for changes to the bill that would guarantee the county some revenue from the land transfer. 

Musselshell County commissioner Robert Pancratz lost in the Republican primary for his seat earlier this month. Credit: Courtesy of Robert Pancratz
Musselshell County commissioner Robert Pancratz lost in the Republican primary for his seat earlier this month. Credit: Courtesy of Robert Pancratz

Pancratz says he was just doing his job.

“As a risk manager, I have to develop a contingency plan for the possibility that the long-term stream of coal revenue could be disrupted or ended,” he said. “We needed to have a plan to effectively transition to other revenue sources. When I used the word transition, they took that as I was an environmentalist that was against coal.” 

“Why anybody would have a problem with that is baffling to me. But that’s what happened.”

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According to Pancratz, Signal Peak Energy branded the men as environmentalists who want to see the company shut down forever and this willful mischaracterization played a large role in his defeat.

“The picture they painted of me was totally false,” he said.

In a recording of a commissioner meeting posted to a local Facebook group by a Signal Peak Energy employee less than a month before the election, Pancratz, Goffena and Turley can be heard strategizing how to express their concerns about the Crow Revenue Act to Daines, whom they describe as unresponsive to their concerns. 

Pancratz suggests asking for a $100 million endowment to transition from coal to “scare” Daines and Signal Peak Energy. Turley states that with funding at that level, they wouldn’t care if the mine was open or not.

“Exactly,” Pancratz responded.

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Comments on the video show viewers expressing outrage that the commissioners would “play chicken” with the future of the mine, which provides hundreds of jobs in the surrounding area. 

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Pancratz said the conversation was recorded without the commissioners’ knowledge. Montana is a two-party consent state, meaning all parties must be aware of and consent to a recording, but he allowed that it was possible one of the commissioners forgot to close a virtual public meeting after it concluded.

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Pancratz said the conversation occurred when the commissioners found out there would be no money in the Crow Revenue Act for the county. The bill’s supporters, including Signal Peak Energy, had told them that the county would not lose any revenue under the bill, he said. 

“We were upset because we felt we’d been lied to,” Pancratz said.

Signal Peak Energy did not respond to a written message and phone call seeking comment. For a time after Signal Peak took over the mine in the late 2000s, it was plagued by malfeasance, including embezzlement, a faked kidnapping and safety and environmental violations, according to reporting by The New York Times.

Olson said he entered the race due to a “lack of transparency” from the commissioners over how the county was spending its money.

Mark Olson lives in Musselshell and currently serves as the undersheriff in Golden Valley County. Credit: Courtesy of Mark OlsonMark Olson lives in Musselshell and currently serves as the undersheriff in Golden Valley County. Credit: Courtesy of Mark Olson
Mark Olson lives in Musselshell and currently serves as the undersheriff in Golden Valley County. Credit: Courtesy of Mark Olson

But the mine played a role in his decision to run, too. As he was weighing his options, Olson said his cousin, Alan Olson, a former state legislator and former executive director of the Montana Petroleum Association, visited him and urged him to run to support the mine. After that conversation, he was convinced the mine’s survival depended on the Crow Revenue Act passing, and that trying to amend it would jeopardize the legislation.

“The more money we can get for the county, the better, but I don’t think it’s worth risking the mine closing,” Olson said. Losing federal revenue was better than losing all the jobs and the tax base if the mine closes, he concluded. 

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Olson added that Parker Phipps, Signal Peak Energy’s CEO, has briefed him on the mine’s fiscal relationship with Musselshell County.

Olson’s background in law enforcement could add a new perspective to the county commissioner meetings, given Goffena and Turley’s background in ranching, he said, but the minutiae of the county’s budget will be new to him. 

“I am by no means an expert in any of this stuff,” he said.

Some worry that, with the mine facing a lawsuit, an unpredictable global coal market and the uncertain future of the Crow Revenue Act, the commissioners cannot afford to lose momentum in their efforts to attract new industries to the area.

Olson’s win in the primary will “set [economic diversification planning] back long term,” Nicole Borner, a former Musselshell County commissioner, who thinks Olson was hand-picked by the Signal Peak Energy to run and is not informed about what the job entails. 

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“We will always just have a few crumbs to duct tape a few issues,” she said. “We’ll never be able to fix the prior forty years of being in a coal bust and our infrastructure just literally falling apart.” 

The storefronts of businesses in Roundup, Mont. Credit: Jake Bolster/Inside Climate NewsThe storefronts of businesses in Roundup, Mont. Credit: Jake Bolster/Inside Climate News
The storefronts of businesses in Roundup, Mont. Credit: Jake Bolster/Inside Climate News

Olson will likely run unopposed in the general election.

In his remaining time in office, Pancratz said he will continue to push for economic diversification in Musselshell County. He holds no animosity towards Olson, who calls Pancratz “a wonderful guy.” Instead, he laments not addressing concerns over his position on the mine sooner in the campaign. But he believes Signal Peak Energy’s political and social influence—the company operates a charity in the region—is what swayed the election.

“You can’t say anything that even remotely implies that you’re trying to prepare the county for the possibility that coal revenue may not be steady or high … There’s this attitude that the county is in debt to that coal mine. And the message I tried to get out is, it’s more the reverse,” Pancratz said. 

“I personally don’t believe the mine really cares about the county.”

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Montana Lottery Mega Millions, Big Sky Bonus results for June 19, 2026

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The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at June 19, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from June 19 drawing

13-16-21-26-50, Mega Ball: 12

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from June 19 drawing

05-12-14-30, Bonus: 03

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 19 drawing

02-20-28-51-54, Bonus: 02

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

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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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