Featured Articles in Montana Politics

USITC Advances Probe Into Russian Palladium Imports After Montana Delegation Push

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has voted to continue its investigation into imports of unwrought palladium from Russia, ruling there is reasonable indication that the U.S. mining industry is being harmed by unfairly priced and subsidized Russian imports. The decision follows a letter last month from Montana’s congressional delegation urging the Trump administration to Read More…

Daines Introduces Bill to Protect Religious Student Groups on College Campuses

Senator Steve Daines has introduced the Equal Campus Access Act of 2025, legislation aimed at ensuring public colleges and universities do not discriminate against religious student organizations. Daines said the measure is designed to safeguard religious liberty for students of faith, requiring schools that receive federal funding to treat religious groups the same as any Read More…

All in: Montana Politics

Gianforte adds another $500K to campaign kitty

HELENA — Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte has loaned another $500,000 of his own money to his campaign, increasing his personal contributions to $1.05 million – about a third of his total funding. Even without the personal loans, Gianforte, Montana’s U.S. representative, has easily out-raised his two Republican rivals in the year-long campaign for Montana’s Read More…

Groups urge Montana to change requirements for ballot signatures

Groups in Montana collecting signatures to get ballot initiatives included in the November election are pushing the governor and secretary of state to eliminate requirements for in-person signature gathering and notarization. New Approach Montana, a group working to legalize recreational marijuana, has sued Secretary of State Corey Stapleton over the state’s prohibition on electronic signature collection. The group Read More…

Steve Daines Urges Trump to Use ‘Executive Powers’ to End U.S. Reliance on Chinese Drugs

Senator Steve Daines (R., Mont.) asked President Trump to use “executive powers and existing authorities” as part of an effort to reinforce domestic pharmaceutical supply chains in the wake of the Wuhan coronavirus. “Moving forward, it is important that we incentivize innovation and the development of essential medical supplies and equipment in the U.S. in Read More…

Congressional delegation urges National Guard funding approval

WASHINGTON — Montana’s delegates in Congress are urging President Donald Trump to approve federal funding that would allow the Montana National Guard to assist in efforts against the coronavirus. The following is a press release from the offices of Rep. Greg Gianforte, Sen. Steve Daines and Sen. Jon Tester: Congressman Greg Gianforte and U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Read More…

MISSOULA COUNTY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE MUST ENFORCE THE GOVERNOR’S STAY AT HOME DIRECTIVE

On Thursday, Montana Governor Steve Bullock issued a statewide stay-at-home order to all Montanans to prevent COVID-19 from spreading. According to County Attorney Kirsten Pabst, “all systems are go” at the Missoula County Attorney’s Office. She said there are four essential components to this new Directive. “The first is stay home,” Pabst said. “The second Read More…

Montana U.S. House candidate Williams announces self-quarantine

Montana U.S. House candidate Kathleen Williams and members of her campaign staff are self-quarantining after learning an attendee at a campaign event tested positive for COVID-19. Williams’ campaign manager, Jeff Allen, said in a Thursday news release that neither the Bozeman Democrat nor her campaign staff have experienced symptoms and are self-quarantining “out of an Read More…

Republican Gianforte expands huge fundraising edge in gov race

Republican Greg Gianforte is continuing his prodigious fundraising in Montana’s 2020 gubernatorial race, blowing past $2 million for the campaign during the first two-and-a-half months this year – including a $500,000 loan he made to the campaign in February. In his report filed Friday, Gianforte said he raised another $390,000 from donors during the first Read More…

State elections chief monitoring coronavirus situation as primary nears

HELENA – Secretary of State Corey Stapleton said earlier this week he was taking a “deliberate pause” before giving direction on the June 2 primary election as concerns increase about the coronavirus. “There’s been a lot of interest, a lot of questions about how the newly touched-down coronavirus could affect our elections,” he said in a Read More…

Dark Money Juggernaut Gets Behind Steve Bullock, Who’s Long Derided Influence of Hidden Money

Montana governor Steve Bullock has spent his entire political career saying he wants to remove dark money from politics. Now running for the U.S. Senate, Bullock is receiving help from one of the largest liberal dark money networks in America.   Protect Our Care, a shadowy group that attacks Republicans on health care issues, announced Thursday Read More…

GOP senator backs paid leave, payroll tax cut amid coronavirus concerns

Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) on Monday unveiled a handful of proposals that he said Congress and the administration should enact amid growing concerns about the coronavirus’s impact on the economy. “I will be working with the Trump administration, Congressional Leadership, and Republicans and Democrats in both chambers to ensure these priorities are addressed and put forward to help Read More…

Gov. Bullock enters U.S. Senate race against Republican Daines

Ending days of speculation, Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock entered Montana’s U.S. Senate race Monday, immediately vaulting the contest into the top tier of Senate battles nationwide. Bullock, 53, who spent seven months running for president last year and had repeatedly rejected the idea of challenging Republican incumbent Steve Daines, announced his change of plans with Read More…

Races Heat Up For Montana Regulated Utilities Board

Mar. 9 marked the filing deadline for public office in Montana. Three seats are up for reelection on the Republican-dominated Public Service Commission. The commission sets customer rates and approves new power, water and legacy telecommunications projects. In southeast Montana, two Republicans are challenging Commissioner Tony O’Donnell’s incumbency. State representative Daniel Zolnikov and former PSC Read More…

Whitney Williams announces running mate in race for governor

HELENA – Businesswoman Whitney Williams announced Buzz Mattelin as her Lieutenant Governor candidate. Buzz is a farmer and President of the National Barley Growers Association. He is from Culbertson. Williams is the last to announce her running mate. On Friday, Democrat Mike Cooney announced Casey Schreiner as his running mate. Schreiner is a former school Read More…

Unknown Republican enters MT’s U.S. Senate race, challenging Daines

A second Republican and political newcomer has entered Montana’s U.S. Senate race, challenging incumbent U.S. Sen. Steve Daines in the primary. Dan Larson, a hardware-store manager from Stevensville, paid his filing fee on Tuesday, as a Republican. He’s never run for office before. Also, Democrat Mike Knoles, a Bozeman physicist and mathematician, said he became Read More…

Schreiner Drops Out Of Democratic Gubernatorial Race

House Minority Leader Casey Schreiner dropped out of the gubernatorial race Monday, leaving just two candidates running in the Montana Democratic primary race for governor. The four-term Great Falls state representative is suspending his campaign four months before Montana’s June 2 primary. In a statement, Schreiner said he doesn’t have the resources needed to run Read More…

Austin Knudsen Brings AG Campaign To Havre

Austin Knudsen brought his campaign for Montana attorney general to Havre Thursday, touting his conservative values and his determination to fight drug abuse, especially methamphetamine. Knudsen, a Republican from Culbertson, served four terms in the Montana House, two as Speaker, then returned home to hang up his shingle and practice law. He said the people of Read More…

Daines bill aims to reform Patriot Act

U.S. Senator Steve Daines, R-Montana, announced Thursday he will be introducing bipartisan legislation to protect the civil liberties and privacy of Montanans from government spying programs. Daines’ bipartisan bill reforms Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which the National Security Agency has used to create a secret mass surveillance program that swept up millions of Read More…

Democrat Neill drops from Montana governor’s race

Democrat Reilly Neill has withdrawn from the 2020 governor’s race, saying she will work instead through “the media to educate, inform and report on issues of climate change and human rights.”  The Livingston resident and former state representative posted her decision on her votereilly.com website Jan. 12. “At every event for Democratic candidates I’ve attended in the Read More…