Montana
With 'No Preference' Ballots, Montana Voters Express Discontent in Presidential Primaries – Flathead Beacon
Nine percent of Montana voters cast a “no preference” ballot in both the Democratic and Republican presidential primaries on June 4, signaling dissatisfaction with the frontrunners for U.S. president ahead of a competitive general election.
In the Democratic presidential primary, 9,141 voters, or 9%, cast a “no preference” vote, with President Joe Biden being the only candidate on the ballot. In the Republican primary, 16,381 voters, also 9%, selected “no preference,” with former President Donald Trump as the ballot’s only candidate.
Though both Biden and Trump handily clinched their respective parties’ nominations this spring, protest votes against the two candidates have mounted during the primary cycle as polls show growing discontent among voters.
Advocacy group Montana for Palestine last Wednesday claimed a “‘no preference’ campaign victory” following an effort by the group to use the primary election to signal voters’ condemnation of U.S. support for Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza. The group in an email admonished the Biden administration and U.S. Sen. Jon Tester for their support of Israel, calling Biden “a shameless genocidaire.”
Andrea Bachman, organizer of Montana for Palestine in the Flathead Valley, said she cast a “no preference” vote “to send a message to President Biden that I don’t support his policies that are supporting a genocide in Palestine.”
The number of Democratic “no preference” votes last week was more than double that of 2020, when 2.8%, or 4,250 voters, selected “no preference” in Montana’s Democratic primary. In 2016, 4.3%, or 5,415 voters, voted “no preference.” In 2012, when former President Barack Obama was the only candidate on the primary ballot, however, 10% of voters selected “no preference,” a similar figure to this year’s election.
In the 2020 Republican primary, 6% of Montanans (13,184) voted “uncommitted.” “No preference” received 4.7% of the vote (7,369) in 2016 and 3.9% in 2012 (5,456).
President Biden has lost more than a half-million votes to “uncommitted” or “no preference” movements across the country this primary cycle, according to The Hill.
Brendan Work, co-founder of Montana for Palestine, said the movement is an “attempt to show the Biden administration that we have a red line, that voters are disgusted by their aid, support, complicity in the genocide.”
Democratic officials have warned that if progressives sit out of the election in November, it will likely go to Trump, who has vowed to “set [the pro-Palestinian protest] movement back 25 or 30 years” and called himself the “best friend Israel has ever had.”
“There’s no such thing to us as a ‘lesser evil’ genocide,” Work said, adding that he will not vote for Biden in November unless the president calls for an “immediate, permanent ceasefire.”
Trump, too, continues to lose votes despite clearing the primary field of competitors after Nikki Haley dropped out of the race in March. Haley won one in five Republican primary votes in Indiana last month, despite no longer being in the race. She boasted similar numbers in Maryland, and in Nebraska’s Republican primary last month, more than one-fifth of voters cast a ballot for someone other than Trump.
Per an April poll by the Pew Research Center, half of polled voters said they would replace both Biden and Trump on the ballot if given the chance.
Montana for Palestine also encouraged voters to write in “ceasefire” in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, which Jon Tester easily won.
When asked about the “ceasefire” protest votes, a spokesperson for the Tester campaign pointed to the high number of votes captured by the senator. Tester received 97% of votes (103,341) in the primary –– 9,590 more than Biden.
The secretary of state’s office has not released the total number of write-in votes for the Democratic Senate primary. In Gallatin County, 1% of voters (141) cast a write-in vote in the Senate race. In Yellowstone County, less than 1% (49) did so.
The Tester spokesperson did not respond to specific questions about whether or not the campaign is concerned about capturing the votes of Montana progressives as the senator heads into a highly-competitive reelection bid. The Montana Democratic Party did not respond to requests for comment.
Pro-Palestinian organizers have made Tester a main target of their activism in recent months, questioning his policies on Israel during public events and disrupting his remarks at the Montana Democratic Party’s annual Mansfield Metcalf fundraiser.
Work said Tester’s position as chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense puts him in “a powerful position” to limit or cease weapons shipments to Israel.
The organization has not directed specific protests towards the Republican members of Montana’s congressional delegation –– U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, Rep. Ryan Zinke and Rep. Matt Rosendale –– who have expressed staunch support for Israel since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on the country.
Zinke in November introduced a bill that would expel Palestinians from the U.S. who arrived after September 2023.
When asked about the state’s Republican Congress members, Work again emphasized Tester’s role on the defense subcommittee and said that progressive voters in Montana are “taken for granted by the Democratic Party.”
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MISSOULA — Sam Forstag edged out Ryan Busse to secure the Democratic nomination in Montana’s 1st Congressional District.
Busse conceded the race to Forstag on Wednesday morning. Forstag had trailed behind Busse Tuesday evening, but he made up ground as the votes were counted into the early hours of Wednesday morning. The other two candidates in the race, Russl Cleveland and Matt Rains, are sitting at third and fourth, respectively.
Forstag leads in close race for Montana’s 1st Congressional District
Forstag spent eight years as a wildland firefighter, including four as a smokejumper, and he’s been vice president of the local National Federation of Federal Employees union. Last week, U.S. House of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, held a rally in Missoula to support Forstag’s campaign.
He told MTN on Tuesday that his campaign has been for the working class.
“We got a whole lot of people here that have been working their tail off to finally get some working-class representation in Washington,” Forstag noted. “So proud of everything we’ve done and so grateful.”
Forstag further noted he wants Montanans to be able to afford groceries, have universal free childcare and restore and expand Affordable Health Care Act subsidies.
“Hearing people’s stories and struggles and commonalities in the ways that we’re all fighting in the system that does not serve us so often, and the government serves corporations and the richest people in this country more than working people. It has been frustrating and saddening, but it has also inspired so much hope in me, like the fixes we can actually make,” he told MTN.
The 1st Congressional District covers much of western Montana, including Kalispell, Missoula, Butte and Bozeman. It is currently held by Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, who chose not to seek reelection.
By securing the nomination, Forstag is slated tol face off against Libertarian candidate Nick Sheedy and Republican candidate Aaron Flint in November.
Brian Miller won the Democratic primary Tuesday for the U.S. House seat in Montana’s eastern district.
The Associated Press called the race for Miller, an attorney in Helena, who fended off a challenge from state Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, a longtime legislator from Box Elder, and Sam Lux, a farrier from Great Falls.
In the Republican and rural eastern district, any Democrat will be an underdog, and Miller will face off against incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Troy Downing, who was unopposed Tuesday.
Libertarian Patrick McCracken is also running.
In the primary, Miller took 58% of the vote. Lux took 27% and Windy Boy took 16%, according to the Montana Secretary of State’s website.
In April, Windy Boy paused his campaign amid “serious sexual abuse” allegations raised by the Montana Democratic Party — but Windy Boy restarted his campaign and later called the allegations “political attacks.”
Miller is representing the victim of the alleged abuse and her mother, although he said he didn’t take on the role until after Windy Boy initially suspended his campaign.
The Western Montana Food and Farm Trail, a new agritourism initiative led by Farm Connect Montana, launches May 30, offering locals and visitors a new kind of food and farm adventure across Western Montana.
Running June 1 through October 31, the self-guided Trail spans more than 200 miles and features more than 100 farms, ranches, farmers markets, restaurants, breweries and food businesses across the Missoula, Bitterroot, Flathead and Mission Valleys. Along the way, participants are invited to meet growers and makers, taste what’s in season and experience the culture and care behind Western Montana’s local food community.
At the center of the experience is the passport-style Trail Field Guide, illustrated by Missoula-based artist Courtney Blazon. The guide features illustrated maps, curated itineraries, seasonal highlights and more than 100 local food destinations throughout the region. The guide also includes more than $130 in special offers from participating farms and businesses.
Participants can collect stamps at Trail stops along the way to qualify for prizes, giveaways, or simply as a way to document their journey. End-of-season prizes include raffles for three CSA memberships valued at over $600 each, as well as local food and farm gift certificates, product bundles and Courtney Blazon-designed market totes.
The Trail is a regional collaboration led by Farm Connect Montana in partnership with Land to Hand Montana, The O’Hara Commons and Sustainability Center and Abundant Montana, organizations working to strengthen local food systems across Western Montana. The project aims to support local farms and food businesses through expanded visibility and agritourism opportunities while reconnecting locals and visitors with the people, places and stories behind their food.
“In creating the Western Montana Food & Farm Trail, we hope to inspire both residents and travelers to discover the stories behind their food and connect with the people cultivating a more vibrant, resilient and locally rooted food community,” said Bonnie Buckingham, Executive Director of Farm Connect Montana. “Participation in the Trail is a win for everyone. It creates new opportunities for farms and local food businesses to reach wider audiences while encouraging participants to explore new places, support local producers and experience Western Montana in a more meaningful way.”
“Land to Hand is thrilled to partner with Farm Connect on the Food and Farm Trail to highlight the robust agricultural heritage of Western Montana,” said Gretchen Boyer, Executive Director of Land to Hand Montana. “This initiative is more than just a guide – it’s an invitation to celebrate and support the local farmers who nourish our communities every day. By connecting residents and visitors directly to the source, we’re strengthening our local food system and honoring the people and landscapes that sustain the Flathead Valley.”
To celebrate the launch, regional Trail launch parties will take place in Missoula, the Bitterroot Valley and the Flathead Valley throughout early June, featuring Field Guide distribution, local food vendors, giveaways and opportunities to learn more about the Trail.
Trail Field Guides ($10) will be available for purchase beginning May 30 both online and at participating businesses, farmers markets and community locations throughout the region. A full list of Field Guide purchase locations and details, as well as a digital map and Trail listings, special events and more information is available at farmconnectmontana.org/trail.
Funding for this project was made possible through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service.
Regional launch events
• Missoula Launch Party — LaLonde Ranch, Sun., June 7, 1-4 p.m.
• Bitterroot Launch Party — O’Hara Commons Market, Wed., June 10, 4-6 p.m.
• Flathead Launch Party — Backslope Brewing, Tue., June 16, 4-7:30 p.m.
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