U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) is leading a bipartisan effort to increase transparency and accountability in the federal Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, introducing the CDFI Fund Transparency Act alongside Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.). The legislation would require the Secretary of the Treasury to testify annually before Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is spearheading a 23-state coalition of attorneys general urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to halt grants to the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), a group that has been providing climate-focused trainings for judges nationwide. In a letter sent Tuesday to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Knudsen raised concerns that taxpayer Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, along with 21 other state attorneys general, has filed a brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review a case challenging a Massachusetts school district’s policy on student “social transitioning” without parental consent. The case, Foote v. Ludlow School Committee, involves Ludlow Public Schools and parents Stephen Foote and Marissa Read More…
U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy led a letter from Montana’s congressional delegation urging President Donald Trump to take immediate action against Russia’s palladium exports, calling for a 50 percent tariff on unwrought palladium imports from Russia to protect American jobs and domestic mineral production. The letter, also signed by Senator Steve Daines, Rep. Troy Downing, and Read More…
BOZEMAN – Montana State University on Wednesday released the results of its Treasure State poll weighing Montana attitudes for the 2020 general election set for Nov 3. The poll, one of the most extensive publicly available polls on the state’s voter preferences for the upcoming election, is administered by members of the MSU Department of Read More…
A new poll of the Montana Senate race, conducted October 5–7 by Emerson, shows Republican incumbent Steve Daines leading his Democratic challenger Steve Bullock by 9 points: Republicans have been worried about the Montana Senate race because the state has a robust recent history of ticket-splitting. Bullock, the sitting Democratic governor, won reelection in 2016 even as Read More…
The two men running to become Lewis and Clark County’s second justice of the peace are both first-time candidates, but each has long experience serving the public. In November 2018, the Lewis and Clark County Commission voted to create a second justice of the peace position, to help address a growing workload for the court. Read More…
Republican Roosevelt County Attorney and former Speaker of the House Austin Knudsen faces Governor’s Counsel Raph Graybill, a Democrat, in the general election for attorney general. “(I want to be attorney general) because I think Montana oughta have a top law enforcement official who has actually dealt with law enforcement who has actually prosecuted criminals,” Read More…
HELENA- Just days after Montana’s Democratic candidates started a tour around the state, their Republican counterparts are doing the same thing. But with a different twist, their message is something any candidate would get behind. “Get out the vote.” This election is expected to have extremely high voter turnout and these men and women plan Read More…
Jim Murry, a longtime leader of organized labor in Montana who helped usher in a progressive era of politics in Montana in the 1960s and 1970s, died Monday in Helena. He was 85. Murry, who grew up in Laurel and worked at its oil refinery, became head of the Montana AFL-CIO in 1968 at age Read More…
Democratic U.S. House candidate Kathleen Williams reported Monday that she raised $2.3 million in campaign funds for three past three months – nearly doubling her total for the entire campaign. Williams, a former state legislator from Bozeman, is in a close race with Republican state Auditor Matt Rosendale for Montana’s only U.S. House seat. A Read More…
A group opposed to the legalization of marijuana in Montana, voiced its opposition Saturday to two ballot initiatives up for vote in November. “Wrong For Montana” is against Initiative 190 which would legalize marijuana in the state. Wind forced the group indoors at South 24th Street West & King Avenue West, after its demonstration in Read More…
In what’s likely their final debate before ballots are mailed out, U.S. House candidates Matt Rosendale and Kathleen Williams faced off Saturday night, with Williams, a Democrat, casting herself as an independent who can work with both sides of the political aisle and Rosendale, a Republican, calling her someone allied with the “radical far leftists.” Read More…
If you missed Wednesday’s debate between Republican US House candidate Matt Rosendale and Democrat Kathleen Williams, don’t worry, you can watch the full debate right here at the bottom of this post. Plus, there’s a couple of other big Montana PBS debates still left to air in the coming days. Republican Congressman Greg Gianforte and Read More…
A recent American Statistical Association report revealed that Montana is one of two states that could lose a potential seat in the House of Representatives as a result of the Sept. 30 enumeration deadline. The American Statistical Association is a professional association that supports the development of statistical science through publications, advocacy and education. After temporarily halting Read More…
At a Thursday meeting that Democrats decried as an illegal attempt by GOP lawmakers to rein in Gov. Steve Bullock’s emergency powers during the coronavirus pandemic, Republicans recommended several legislative rule changes – but denied it was any sort of a “partisan power grab.” The Joint Rules Committee meeting, instigated and attended only by Republicans, Read More…
BELGRADE — Vice President Mike Pence touted the work President Donald Trump has done over the last four years at a rally here on Monday and portrayed the November election as a battle between Republicans who are working to uphold Montana values and Democrats who back destructive liberal policies. Pence spoke at the Big Yellow Read More…
HELENA — U.S. Sen. Steve Daines leads his Democratic challenger, Gov. Steve Bullock, by three percentage points and President Trump leads Democratic nominee Joe Biden by seven points in Montana, according to a poll released Friday by AARP-Montana. The poll, which surveyed 800 people by telephone from Aug. 30-Sept. 5, said Daines led Bullock 50 Read More…
The Montana Contractors Association on Wednesday endorsed Republican Greg Gianforte for governor, citing his opposition to a 2020 ballot measure that would legalize recreational marijuana in Montana. “The recreational marijuana initiative is a very, very troubling initiative,” said Bob Warren, president of the contractors’ group. “The MCA board voted to fight this with all our Read More…
Vice President Mike Pence is coming back to Montana for a rally with Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) in Belgrade on Monday. Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-MT) and Republican US House candidate Matt Rosendale will also be prominently featured. According to an eventbrite page created by the Montana Republican Party, the event will take place at the Big Yellow Read More…
Bozeman Mayor Chris Mehl resigned Wednesday, a day after all four city commissioners asked him to step down over allegations that he bullied city staff and interfered with city administration. “It’s been an honor to serve Bozeman for more than 10 years, and I thank the voters for that repeated opportunity,” Mehl said in an Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Montana’s top politicians are responding to a new lawsuit Gov. Steve Bullock filed Tuesday against the USPS and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy calling on a judge to undo new changes with the Postal Service. In the suit, Bullock cites DeJoy’s “unlawful actions that have directly harmed Montanans by impeding the flow of mail.” Read More…
The Montana Public Service Commission (PSC) has opened an investigation into what led to the loss of water to the North Star Subdivision on Sunday Aug. 30. The PSC will be holding a show and cause hearing on Friday Sep. 11 for North Star to answer questions about the incident. Around 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, North Read More…
With Nov. 3 approaching, Montana’s secretary of state candidates are offering starkly contrasting visions for the state’s top election office. Both candidates have emphasized greater election security but have different plans to achieve it. The secretary of state race doesn’t catch the headlines of Montana’s high profile gubernatorial and U.S. Senate contests but Montana State Read More…
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines is asking Gov. Steve Bullock’s office to release more information on COVID-19 cases and deaths within Montana’s senior care facilities. Daines announced Friday that he had sent a letter to Bullock, saying the state’s data was giving “an incomplete picture of the impact of COVID-19 on Montana’s senior communities.” READ FULL Read More…
Montana’s Battle of the Steves started at the buzzer. On the morning of March 9, the last day to file as a challenger to U.S. Senator Steve Daines, the first-term incumbent held a commanding lead in his bid for reelection. Daines, a former software executive and reliable Republican ally of President Trump, was considered a Read More…
Bozeman city commissioners Tuesday night worked through goals for the upcoming Montana legislative session, drawing off of the city’s strategic plan to identify some potential priorities for the lawmaking session set to begin in January 2021. Major goals identified in a report presented by city manager Jeff Mihelich and echoed by several commissioners were a Read More…
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike Cooney Thursday unveiled his education plan, which calls for more spending on public schools and state colleges, state funding for preschool, and steps to reduce student debt. Cooney also said at a Missoula news conference that he wants to expand career and technical education in high school and middle schools. “Now Read More…
In the campaign money chase for Montana’s 2020 gubernatorial race, Republican Greg Gianforte and Democrat Mike Cooney are drawing pretty much from the same well – except when it comes to their own pockets. Gianforte, Montana’s U.S. congressman and a wealthy businessman from Bozeman, has loaned or donated about $2.6 million to his campaign – Read More…
KALISPELL, Mont. — Sen. Steve Daines made a trip to the Flathead Valley Monday morning to talk about a bipartisan forest management reform bill. Daines was joined by elected officials as well as conservation and timber leaders. The bill is about addressing wildfires, wildlife, watersheds and workers. READ FULL STORY
Crow Tribal Chairman A.J. Not Afraid, speaking for the tribe, has endorsed the reelection of U.S. Sen Steve Daines. In a proclamation posted to the Crow Tribe of Indians Facebook page, Not Afraid credited Daines, a Republican for working on several Indigenous issues for Montana tribes, including Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons, federal recognition for Read More…
In the first debate in Montana’s high-profile U.S. Senate race, Republican Sen. Steve Daines on Saturday repeatedly called Democratic challenger Steve Bullock a pawn of D.C. Democrats, and said Bullock is “too liberal” for Montana. “If we lose this seat, there will be no check on Nancy Pelosi’s radical agenda coming out of the House,” Read More…
Congressman Greg Gianforte invited the National Rifle Association to relocate to Montana, following efforts of attorneys general in New York and Washington, D.C. to dissolve the organization. “As a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association (NRA), I was frustrated to see far-left activists and elected officials in New York, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., Read More…
Greater Montana Foundation and Montana Broadcasters Association to cosponsor a debate for US Senatorial Candidates. Ron Davis, Chair, Greater Montana Foundation and Keith Teske, Chair, Montana Broadcasters Association, announced today that the two groups will hold a Senatorial debate between candidates Governor Steve Bullock and US Senator Steve Daines, on Saturday, August 8. The debate Read More…
HELENA — First Judicial Dist. judge James Reynolds has announced he will retire on October 2, 2020. A release from the Montana Supreme Court says Chief Justice Mike McGrath has notified the Judicial Nomination Commission. The commission is now accepting application for Reynolds’ replacement. The first Judicial District over sees Lewis and Clark and Broadwater Read More…
The Great American Outdoors Act is now the law of the land. The act has been touted by conservation and access groups as one of the largest pieces of conservation legislation to pass in decades. The bipartisan bill fully funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund at $900 million annually and makes the allocation Read More…
Cars decorated with “Trump” and “Defend the Police” regalia filled Main Street in Bozeman Friday night, bringing traffic to a near standstill as a group of counter protesters with signs like “Blue lives don’t exist” chanted “You look stupid” at the entourage of at least 100 cars. People in cars shouted back, “Go back Read More…
A former Montana health official said Democratic governor Steve Bullock threatened her and other state employees who tried to blow the whistle on welfare fraud. Wendie Fredrickson, who served as a Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services audit reviewer for more than 20 years, said Bullock “intimidated [state regulators] into ignoring fraud” when Read More…
County election officials have asked Gov. Steve Bullock to decide by Aug. 10 whether they can conduct an all-mail ballot for the November general election, saying they must make that call soon, for planning purposes. The top election official in Lewis and Clark County also told MTN News Tuesday she’d be recommending an all-mail Nov. Read More…
On the campaign trail, current State Auditor and Insurance Commissioner Matt Rosendale spoke with KGVO News on Thursday about his plan to ‘Reignite our Economy’ should he be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November. Rosendale said there are eight parts to his plan. READ FULL STORY
Rep. Greg Gianforte R-Mont., was campaigning for governor in Havre Thursday, discuss his Montana Comeback Plan at Tilleman Motor Co. Kristen Juras, Gianforte’s running mate, introduced him to the small crowd at the event. “I am excited,” Juras said. “I am excited about the prospect about Greg Gianforte becoming our next governor.” Gianforte was elected Read More…
It’s pretty cool that a candidate for governor is not only attending the Montana Governor’s Cup Walleye Tournament, but over the weekend, Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-MT) actually fished in the tournament. Why is that such a big deal? Frankly, if you talk to folks in Eastern Montana- they’ll tell you that Eastern Montana often gets ignored Read More…
As we reported back in May, Lieutenant Governor and Democrat gubernatorial candidate, Mike Cooney (D-MT) was busted for making campaign fundraising calls from his official office in the state capitol. Now, Cooney has been slapped with the “maximum penalty” by the state Commissioner of Political Practices. As the Associated Press reports: READ FULL STORY
The Bureau of Reclamation says after receiving public feedback it has decided not to change the names of Chinamen’s and Confederate campgrounds. A statement from Bureau of Reclamation Regional Director Brent Esplin said: “The Bureau of Reclamation will be retaining the historical names of Chinamen’s and Confederate campgrounds in the Canyon Ferry Recreation Area based Read More…