HELENA—The race for Montana’s open U.S. Senate seat is giving voters four distinct choices, with Republican Kurt Alme, independent Seth Bodnar, Democrat Alani Bankhead and Libertarian Kyle Austin competing to replace retiring Sen. Steve Daines. Alme, 59, has made his Montana roots and long record in state and federal public service central to his campaign. Read More…
BOZEMAN—Republican Aaron Flint and Democrat Sam Forstag traded attacks and outlined sharply different approaches to affordability, energy and economic development during their first televised debate in Montana’s Western Congressional District race. The two candidates met Thursday in Bozeman for a 30-minute forum hosted by the Montana Television Network and moderated by senior political reporter Jonathon Read More…
The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll (The Center Square) – A majority of American voters are concerned with socialist candidates running and possibly winning political office, according to a new poll. The Center Square Voters’ Voice poll found that 55% of American voters are concerned about Democratic Socialist candidates running for and winning elected office Read More…
KALISPELL—President Donald Trump is returning to Montana next week for a campaign rally in Kalispell as Republicans look to boost congressional candidate Aaron Flint in the race for Montana’s Western Congressional District. Trump is scheduled to appear Wednesday at the Majestic Valley Arena, where he will campaign alongside Flint, the Republican nominee seeking to succeed Read More…
HELENA—The race for Montana’s open U.S. Senate seat is giving voters four distinct choices, with Republican Kurt Alme, independent Seth Bodnar, Democrat Alani Bankhead and Libertarian Kyle Austin competing to replace retiring Sen. Steve Daines. Alme, 59, has made his Montana roots and long record in state and federal public service central to his campaign. Read More…
BOZEMAN—Republican Aaron Flint and Democrat Sam Forstag traded attacks and outlined sharply different approaches to affordability, energy and economic development during their first televised debate in Montana’s Western Congressional District race. The two candidates met Thursday in Bozeman for a 30-minute forum hosted by the Montana Television Network and moderated by senior political reporter Jonathon Read More…
The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll (The Center Square) – A majority of American voters are concerned with socialist candidates running and possibly winning political office, according to a new poll. The Center Square Voters’ Voice poll found that 55% of American voters are concerned about Democratic Socialist candidates running for and winning elected office Read More…
KALISPELL—President Donald Trump is returning to Montana next week for a campaign rally in Kalispell as Republicans look to boost congressional candidate Aaron Flint in the race for Montana’s Western Congressional District. Trump is scheduled to appear Wednesday at the Majestic Valley Arena, where he will campaign alongside Flint, the Republican nominee seeking to succeed Read More…
PIERRE, S.D.—Gov. Larry Rhoden has appointed Kellen B. Willert to serve as a circuit judge in South Dakota’s Fourth Judicial Circuit, filling a vacancy created by the departure of Judge John Fitzgerald. Willert brings experience in private practice, municipal law, estate planning, complex litigation and military law. He graduated cum laude from South Dakota State Read More…
KALISPELL—Republican congressional candidate Aaron Flint has released a new general-election advertisement focused on public safety, fentanyl and border security, featuring Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer. In the ad, Springer endorses Flint and says the Republican candidate would support stronger enforcement against fentanyl trafficking and tighter border security. “Lieutenant Colonel Flint will crack down on fentanyl Read More…
(The Center Square) – Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya are neck and neck in the most-recent polling of Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race. Flanagan, a Democrat, leads Tafoya 44.8% to 43.3%, according to the average of the four most-recent polls compiled by 270toWin. There is a wider gap in the Minnesota gubernatorial Read More…
WHITEFISH—Republican congressional nominee Aaron Flint and Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino joined local residents in Whitefish on Friday for a rally supporting Border Patrol and local law enforcement, while Flint used the event to criticize Democratic opponent Sam Forstag’s lobbying record on immigration and criminal-justice issues. The gathering drew roughly 40 people near the Whitefish Read More…
WASHINGTON—Montana Sen. Tim Sheehy is calling for greater congressional scrutiny of former special counsel Jack Smith as lawmakers consider changes to the rules governing secret government demands for private records. Sheehy’s comments follow disclosures from the Senate Judiciary Committee’s investigation of Arctic Frost, the federal inquiry that ultimately became part of Smith’s investigation of President Read More…
MINNEAPOLIS—A federal grand jury has indicted 10 foreign nationals in separate voter-fraud cases involving Minnesota elections in 2022, 2024 and 2026, the Justice Department said. The defendants were indicted Sept. 24 and have since made initial appearances in federal court. Prosecutors allege the cases involve unlawful voting by noncitizens and false claims of U.S. citizenship Read More…
MINOT, N.D.—Gov. Kelly Armstrong has appointed Minot attorney Christene Reierson to an open judgeship in North Dakota’s North Central Judicial District, effective Nov. 16. Reierson has operated Reierson Law Office P.C. in Minot as a solo practitioner since 2015, handling matters including family law, criminal law, probate, civil litigation, business formation, real estate transactions, estate Read More…
MISSOULA—Republican congressional nominee Aaron Flint unveiled a tax-relief proposal in Missoula this week while seeking to make Democratic opponent Sam Forstag’s past lobbying work a central issue in Montana’s 1st Congressional District race. Flint’s proposal calls for making permanent federal tax breaks on tips and overtime, eliminating federal taxes on military pensions, ending the estate Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — Montana’s U.S. Senate race is entering its final stretch with millions of dollars in outside spending, a dispute over a television advertisement targeting Republican Kurt Alme and growing scrutiny of independent candidate Seth Bodnar’s record leading the University of Montana. The four-way contest to replace retiring Republican Sen. Steve Daines includes Alme, Read More…
A coalition of 15 Republican state attorneys general is urging congressional leaders to preserve language in the Protect College Sports Act of 2026 that they say protects state authority over eligibility rules for women’s college sports. The attorneys general sent a Sept. 23 letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson Read More…
WASHINGTON — Legislation updating the Crow Tribe’s water-rights settlement has cleared Congress and is headed to President Donald Trump’s desk. The Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act, sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Steve Daines and backed in the House by Rep. Troy Downing, passed the Senate after clearing the House last week. The Read More…
Leadership in Action, a political action committee whose honorary chairman is Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, has launched a new advertisement targeting Democratic congressional candidate Sam Forstag over his previous lobbying work in Helena. The ad, titled “The Other Resume,” argues that Forstag’s campaign emphasis on his background as a smokejumper and wildland firefighter leaves Read More…
(The Center Square) — Democratic hopes of taking control of the U.S. Senate in the upcoming midterm elections are heavily dependent on retaining an open seat in Michigan. The race features a charismatic and energetic though controversial liberal Democrat — and also the first Muslim nominated by a major party for the post — against Read More…
A federal judge appointed by former President Barack Obama has ordered the release of 24 people held by federal immigration authorities in Cascade County, concluding that the government failed to follow required procedures governing warrantless immigration arrests and detention. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Morris issued the order Friday as part of an ongoing class-action Read More…
Sen. Tim Sheehy’s Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act advanced out of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The bill, co-led by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., is intended to give air traffic controllers additional tools and training to keep American airspace safe. It now heads to the full Senate for consideration. “America has Read More…
Prescription drug prices posted their sharpest annual decline in more than 60 years in 2026, according to federal data, as the Trump administration extended its Most Favored Nation pricing policy to every state Medicaid program in the country. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the steepest drop in prescription drug prices since 1963, with prices Read More…
Democrat Sam Forstag’s effort to emphasize his working-class background is drawing fresh scrutiny from Republican Aaron Flint’s campaign, which is highlighting Forstag’s years of lobbying and LGBTQ advocacy work in Helena. Forstag recently released an advertisement claiming that he earned $16 an hour as a smokejumper. Flint’s campaign responded by releasing lobbying records it says Read More…
(Legal Newsline) – The Idaho Supreme Court has agreed with a pro-choice group that the ballot summary of an abortion measure set for a November vote is worded poorly and has ordered the State to find another way to describe its terms. The ruling last week concerns Proposition One, also known as the Reproductive Freedom Read More…
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong has signed legislation banning synthetic kratom products while restricting the sale of natural kratom to people 21 and older, replacing a temporary statewide prohibition imposed earlier this summer. House Bill 1628 cleared the Legislature during a three-day special session and creates a new regulatory framework for kratom products sold in Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Rep. Ryan Zinke announced the introduction of the A River Runs Through It Act, a locally developed public lands package bringing together more than two decades of work by communities throughout the Blackfoot and Clearwater valleys. Zinke unveiled the legislation at Smoke Elzer Barn in Missoula alongside local elected officials, members of Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte joined Mountain States Policy Center at a press conference at the Montana State Capitol on Tuesday to announce the “Flat. Fair. Montana.” campaign, a statewide initiative promoting a flat individual income tax rate of 4.7 percent. The campaign is a project of MSPC focused on making Montana’s income tax system simpler, more Read More…
Republican congressional candidate Aaron Flint is using his first two general-election advertisements to emphasize his working-class upbringing, military service and support for skilled-trades education as he campaigns for Montana’s 1st Congressional District. Flint’s newest ad features his mother, Karen, recounting how she raised him as a single parent while working two jobs. She says Flint Read More…
Sen. Steve Daines spoke at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing Wednesday, discussing legislation aimed at bringing clean drinking water to eastern Montana and reforming the federal hydropower licensing process. On the Dry Redwater Regional Water Authorization Act Daines outlined his bill authorizing construction of critical water systems in eastern Montana. He noted Read More…
Wyoming’s lone U.S. House seat will feature a crowded general election field this November, after minor-party candidates were certified to appear on the Nov. 3 ballot alongside the major-party nominees. Libertarian Shawn Johnson and Constitution Party candidate Jeffrey Haggit both made the cut and will join Republican Chuck Gray and Democrat Lisa Kinney in the Read More…
Musk’s super PAC recently dropped almost a quarter-million dollars boosting the Republican Senate nominee, who has seen a recent surge in outside support yet continues to lag in fundraising. WASHINGTON — Elon Musk’s America PAC waded into Texas’ U.S. Senate race for the first time in recent days, dropping almost $250,000 to boost Attorney General Ken Read More…
(The Center Square) – As inflation concerns dominate the midterm landscape, the candidates in Ohio’s U.S. Senate race are offering competing solutions to bring costs down. Former Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, is challenging incumbent Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, in a race the Cook Political Report rates a toss-up. Republicans hold a slim 53-45 majority in the Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is scheduled to speak at the Republican National Committee’s 2026 Midterm Convention in Dallas, joining a national lineup of Republican officials and candidates as the party turns its attention toward the November elections. Knudsen, who also serves as chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association, is scheduled to address the Read More…
South Dakota’s U.S. Senate race has effectively become a two-person contest between Republican Sen. Mike Rounds and independent Brian Bengs after Democrat Julian Beaudion withdrew from the race in August. Beaudion, who had been the Democratic nominee, formally withdrew Aug. 4. The South Dakota Secretary of State now lists Rounds and Bengs as the active Read More…
Republican Kurt Alme holds a commanding lead in Montana’s U.S. Senate race, according to a new analysis from Decision Desk HQ, as neither Democrat Alani Bankhead nor independent Seth Bodnar has been willing to step aside for the other, leaving the state with a fractured opposition against the GOP front-runner. In 2026, prominent independent candidates Read More…
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong used his State of the State address to a special session of the 69th Legislative Assembly to renew his call for lawmakers to ban the unregulated drug kratom, following his executive action last month to temporarily prohibit its sale. “We are here to address a public safety and a public Read More…
Wyoming’s Nov. 3 general election ballot grew more crowded this week as minor-party candidates were certified to appear alongside major-party nominees in several of the state’s top races, headlined by a governor’s contest that already ranks as the most expensive of the primary cycle. In the governor’s race, Republican Eric Barlow and Democrat Kenneth Casner Read More…
GREAT FALLS, Mont. — Prosecutors in Cascade County are investigating potential signature-gathering fraud by at least one firm that worked for the independent campaigns of U.S. Senate candidate Seth Bodnar and U.S. House candidate Michael Eisenhauer, according to the Cascade County Attorney’s Office. The Cascade County Attorney’s Office and the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office are Read More…
(The Center Square) – A slew of candidates running as democratic socialists appears to be raising alarms with a majority of American voters, according to a new poll. The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll – Logo – White Background The Center Square’s Voters Voice Poll found 63% of Americans are concerned with the growth of Read More…
The Republican Attorneys General Association is highlighting a new Michigan advertisement from its affiliated Safer Michigan Fund as part of a nearly $7 million political spending campaign across 13 states ahead of the November elections. Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen serves as chairman of RAGA, which is working to elect and defend Republican attorneys general Read More…
Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke received the Excellence in Advocacy Award from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation at a ceremony at the organization’s Missoula headquarters, recognizing his work on public lands, wildlife habitat and America’s hunting heritage. RMEF president and CEO Kyle Weaver and chief conservation officer Blake Henning presented the award. Zinke is only Read More…
Vice President JD Vance remains the clear favorite in a prospective 2028 Republican presidential primary, with 41% of Republicans and right-leaning Independents saying they would vote for him in The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll. The Center Square has conducted four 2028 presidential primary polls since October, and Vance’s latest showing was his strongest to Read More…