Retired combat veteran and conservative broadcaster Aaron Flint won the Republican primary for Montana’s Western Congressional District Tuesday, defeating Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen and former state senator Al Olszewski to capture the Republican nomination for the seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Ryan Zinke. Flint’s victory was decisive, powered by a broad endorsement coalition Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — Former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme and Air Force veteran Alani Bankhead emerged Tuesday as the Republican and Democratic nominees for Montana’s open U.S. Senate seat, setting up a three-way November race that could include independent Seth Bodnar pending signature certification. Alme, twice appointed as U.S. Attorney by President Trump, was the first Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez traveled to Missoula Thursday to headline a campaign rally for Democratic congressional candidate Sam Forstag, bringing national progressive star power to Montana’s competitive Western District primary in its final days before the June 2 vote. The event was held at The Wilma in downtown Missoula, a venue with Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — Independent U.S. Senate candidate Seth Bodnar appears on track to qualify for Montana’s November general election ballot after county election officials certified more than 18,000 signatures and forwarded them to the Secretary of State’s Office for final verification, according to an unofficial tally released Friday. Bodnar’s campaign needed 13,327 valid signatures to Read More…
The federal government could soon be paying for the early manufacturing of potential coronavirus drugs while those drugs are still being researched, under a $10 billion proposal by U.S. Sen. Steve Daines. The proposal, which received mention on the Sunday news program “Face The Nation” and in the Wall Street Journal, would have the federal Read More…
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…
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…
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…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock raised $1.2 million in campaign donations in the 24 hours after he filed to run against Montana Senator Steve Daines. According to a press release from Bullock’s campaign, more than 1,250 contributions from Montanans were made in the first day of the campaign. READ FULL STORY
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…
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…
In the final days of filing for the 2020 elections, a flurry of candidates have announced bids for state legislative seats. The local race with the most candidates is House District 64, which will see both a Republican and Democratic primary in June. Rep. Kerry White, a four-term Republican, can’t seek reelection for the seat Read More…
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…
Democrat Tom Winter filed Thursday night to run for Montana’s sole U.S. House seat, becoming the second Democrat and seventh candidate overall in the crowded race. And, another candidate for the U.S. House – Republican Secretary of State Corey Stapleton – also is expected to file before the Monday deadline. Winter filed online from his Read More…
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…
Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-MT) announced his much-anticipated running mate in the race for Montana governor and lieutenant governor on Sunday night in Billings. Gianforte selected Great Falls lawyer and former Montana Supreme Court candidate Kristen Juras to serve as his running mate. Juras told the crowd that she is excited to be Gianforte’s running mate, Read More…
The latest crop of local candidates filing for political office has set up a Democratic primary battle in one district and guaranteed a general-election contest in two other districts. Garrett Henson of Columbia Falls filed to run in House District 3 against fellow Democrat Debo Powers. Powers was appointed to represent the district – which Read More…
A second Republican has filed to run for the state House seat that covers south Bozeman, including Montana State University. Jason Zeng, a Ph.D. student at MSU in chemical engineering, will face Bryan Haysom in the primary June 2. Zeng, 28, has also worked as a research assistant at MSU and a potato inspector in Read More…
The two Democratic candidates for governor highlighted their differences and declared themselves the candidate who can beat U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte — the presumed frontrunner in the Republican gubernatorial race. In their second debate, businesswoman Whitney Williams said she has the new ideas necessary to keep the governor’s office in Democratic hands, while Lt. Read More…
Former state Rep. Kathleen Williams, D-Bozeman, candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, was in Havre Thursday for a meet and greet event and spoke about her campaign. The seat is held by U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., who announced last year he would not be running for re-election in the House but will be Read More…
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…
A hunky Congressional candidate wants to be your Valentine — and he’s not shy about showing his assets to get you to contribute to his campaign. Tom Winter, 33, a Montana Democrat, created a faux Tinder profile featuring a shirtless image of himself for the day of love fundraising pitch. “Swipe right for a representative Read More…
The two Democrats with their eyes on Montana’s governor’s office took to the stage Wednesday night at MSU-Billings. Lt. Governor Mike Cooney and businesswoman Whitney Williams will face each other in the June 2 primary, but Wednesday night they faced the crowd and answered questions on a number of topics important to Montanans, including healthcare Read More…
Current Montana State Auditor and Insurance Commissioner Matt Rosendale has received the official endorsement of President Donald Trump in his candidacy for the Republican nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives. KGVO News spoke with Rosendale after he received the news via a Presidential tweet. ‘Rosendale is a strong and conservative fighter for Montana. Matt Read More…
With Montana’s June primary election now less than four months away, voters can expect things to heat up on the campaign trail. Case in point: Montana’s race for governor, where incumbent Democrat Steve Bullock is term-limited after eight years in office. Two Democrats are vying for their party’s nomination: Lt. Gov Mike Cooney and newcomer Read More…
Former President Barack Obama met privately with Montana Gov. Steve Bullock on Thursday in Washington, an adviser confirmed, as Democrats hold out hopes that the red-state governor makes a surprise, last-minute splash into the state’s Senate race. Bullock has consistently said he will not run for the Senate after dropping his own White House bid Read More…
Democratic attorney general candidate Raph Graybill is not eligible for the ballot because he hasn’t actively practiced law in Montana for five years, alleges a complaint filed this week with the state political practices office. Graybill, however, said he will have met the requirement before the Nov. 3 election, and his campaign called the complaint Read More…
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 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…
Two competing plans to ask Montana voters to legalize and tax recreational marijuana are underway in the state. A group called MontanaCan is the latest initiative sponsor calling for a change in the state’s policies for marijuana. MontanaCan is proposing a gross sales tax on the recreational drug of no more than 5 percent, and Read More…
A Bozeman lawyer has appealed his case against the former commissioner of political practices to the Montana Supreme Court. The case relates to two ethics complaints and a federal court case and is tied to the 2016 election. Matthew Monforton, a lawyer and former Republican state lawmaker, submitted an ethics complaint against Jonathan Read More…
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 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…
HELENA – Lawmakers are heading home after wrapping up their first Legislative Week. Throughout the five days, lawmakers were busy bouncing around from meetings, to training sessions to committee hearings. They also looked into moving to annual sessions. Montana is only one of four states who meets every other year for 90 days. The week was Read More…
HELENA — Montana’s top Democratic state officeholder – U.S. Sen. Jon Tester – on Friday endorsed Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney in the contested Democratic primary for governor. “I can tell you that Mike will make a great leader for this state,” Tester said at a news conference in front of the state Capitol, with Cooney Read More…
On Friday, Roosevelt County Attorney and former Montana Speaker of the House Austin Knudsen will officially file to run as a Republican for the office of Montana Attorney General. KGVO spoke with Knudsen as he was taking a break on the road driving from his home in Wolf Point to Helena to file with the Read More…
A statewide campaign working to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana submitted two proposed 2020 ballot initiatives for state review Monday. According to the initiative backers, The first ballot proposal would legalize marijuana in Montana for adults. In a press release, backers say it would also establish a regulatory framework for pot cultivation and sales, including Read More…
HELENA – A new bill was announced addressing the Firearm Owners Protection Act, with a focus on protecting travelers who bring firearms across state lines. The bill will clarify the term transport to include staying in temporary lodging overnight, stopping for food, fuel, and vehicle maintenance to name a few. It will also ensure that law-abiding gun Read More…
MISSOULA – After President Trump’s address to the nation, we bring the Iran conflict home to Montana and hear from the Treasure State’s leaders in the house and senate. After Wake Up Montana spoke with Senator Steve Daines, Senator Jon Tester, and Congressman Greg Gianforte, the responses were mixed, however all three agreed the world Read More…
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines was a cosponsor to a resolution introduced Monday that allows the Senate to dismiss articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump after 25 days for lack of prosecution. The proposal, introduced by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, is a move to force House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to play her hand. When the trial Read More…
BOZEMAN — Alice Buckley is a few days away from two important dates. January 9 is the candidate filing open for Statewide, State District and Legislative candidates running in Montana. It’s also a couple days after her 27th birthday. “I have the interest and the commitment in having equal representation in the legislature and believe Read More…
There’s a three-way race underway for a seat on the Montana Supreme Court. Each of the candidates are relying on self funding to get their 2020 campaigns off the ground. Justice Laurie McKinnon, who lives in Helena, is running for reelection after announcing last year she would not seek a second eight-year term on the Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Between taxes, marijuana and a presidential election, 2020 will be a busy year for voters. There are 10 issues proposed already, but not all of them have enough signatures yet. That means it’s still up in the air whether the following initiatives will make it to the ballot. The Marijuana Regulation Act One Read More…
The Lake County Commissioners are doubling down on their opposition to a proposed bill that would ratify the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes water compact. Montana’s two U.S. senators, Jon Tester and Steve Daines, are co-sponsoring a bill, the Montana Water Rights Protection Act, that would ratify the water compact at the federal level. It would Read More…