A group of residents in northeastern Missoula County is pursuing the creation of a new county encompassing Potomac, Seeley Lake and Condon, which would be Montana’s first new county since 1925, the Missoulian reported. The effort, organized under the banner “County 57,” is the latest attempt by rural residents in the Seeley Swan Valley to Read More…
President Donald Trump held a telephone rally Thursday afternoon for Megan Degenfelder, his endorsed pick for Wyoming’s next governor, urging voters in a state that gave him his widest margin of victory in 2024 to back her Republican primary bid. The roughly 15-minute call opened with Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.,” a departure from Read More…
Pressure to narrow the field in Montana’s U.S. Senate race intensified this week, but with a Monday evening deadline approaching, none of the candidates has shown any willingness to step aside. Seth Bodnar, running as an independent, said at a news conference in a Billings park Friday morning that he was staying in through November, Read More…
A bipartisan provision championed by Sen. Steve Daines to sharply increase penalties for unauthorized disclosure of taxpayer information cleared the Senate Finance Committee as part of a broader tax administration package, moving one step closer to becoming law. The Daines-Cortez Masto provision passed as part of the Taxpayer Assistance and Service Act, which the Finance 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…
WASHINGTON — Kendra Espinoza sends her daughters to Stillwater Christian School, in Kalispell, Mont. The girls are thriving, but the tuition bills are steep. Ms. Espinoza, a single mother, has worked three jobs, raffled off quilts and held yard sales to help make the payments. She had also hoped to get some money from a Read More…
A former Helena elementary school teacher has been given a three-year deferred sentence for felony drug possession, stemming from an August traffic stop where authorities found cocaine, LSD, methamphetamine and psilocybin mushrooms in his vehicle. Eric Lehman, who is married to Democratic state superintendent of public instruction candidate Melissa Romano, pleaded guilty to the charge Read More…
HELENA – Employees of the Montana Democratic Party said Wednesday they have chosen to be represented by a union. The employees made the announcement in a news release along with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 206. James Holbrook, IBEW 206 business manager, said more professional employees are joining the IBEW because they can Read More…
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes would manage the National Bison Range in exchange for concessions on water rights, according to draft legislation Montana Sen. Steve Daines is expected to introduce in Congress. Both Daines and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes announced last week that they had come to an agreement to settle thousands Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Senator Steve Daines announced he reached a new agreement to settle water disputes with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) that “protect the water rights for all Montanans.” Senator Jon Tester said he is pleased with the bipartisan support for the introduction of the CSKT Water Compact. Daines will introduce the “Montana Read More…
HELENA — A former Helena elementary school teacher – who also is married to Democratic state superintendent of public instruction candidate Melissa Romano — was charged Tuesday with felony drug possession, including cocaine, LSD and methamphetamine. The charges against Eric Lehman, who resigned his teaching post at Hawthorne Elementary School as of Nov. 1, said Read More…
Montana Governor Steve Bullock is ending his presidential campaign, citing an inability to gain traction with Democratic primary voters and, in a setback for Democrats, he has no plans to pursue a 2020 Senate bid. “While there were many obstacles we could not have anticipated when entering this race, it has become clear that in Read More…
A Republican-aligned super PAC is taking aim at Montana Gov. Steve Bullock — not because of the Democrat’s presidential bid, but because of a prospective Senate bid. The Senate Leadership Fund, an ally of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, bought a five-figure digital ad campaign attacking Mr. Bullock for spending time outside the state on the presidential campaign trail. Read More…
Montana Supreme Court Justice Laurie McKinnon, who announced five months ago she would not run for re-election for a second term, said Sunday she’s changed her mind and will be running in 2020. McKinnon told MTN News that while she initially wasn’t looking forward to another potentially partisan campaign, she decided that wasn’t a good-enough Read More…
CONCORD, N.H. — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock had a special enjoyment filing his name for the first-in-the-nation primary ballot Tuesday – he signed the declaration and handed over his $1,000 check at the desk donated by the family of his namesake. More than a century ago, New Hampshire state Rep. Stephen A. Bullock sponsored legislation Read More…
A number of statewide candidates spoke Sunday at the 2019 Pasma-Peck Democratic Dinner held by the Hill County Democratic Party, discussing their campaigns and their goals if elected. After Montana Attorney General Tim Fox announced his candidacy for governor, a number of candidates from both the Republican and Democratic parties have announced their candidacy for Read More…
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, still in the Democratic presidential race despite low polling numbers, officially filed Tuesday to appear on the ballot in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary next February. Bullock paid the $1,000 filing fee in Concord, New Hampshire, to appear on the state’s Feb. 11 primary ballot. Bullock, who continues to poll in Read More…
Montana Republicans and Democrats compromised in the 2019 Legislature to pass Medicaid expansion with the caveats that there would be some work and community service requirements, however the federal government has not yet authorized the provision. Now, the Montana State Senate Majority Leader is crying foul. “When we passed that legislation it was up to Read More…
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) unveiled his first two television ads in Iowa Wednesday as the White House hopeful seeks to gin up support for his presidential bid in the first-in-the-nation caucus state. The ads seek to promote Bullock’s electability by promoting his ability to win statewide in a rural state that backed President Trump in 2016. The Bullock campaign told Read More…
Montana’s lone representative in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday voted against a resolution to formalize the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. Republican Greg Gianforte voted with his party members and two Democrats against the measure from the House majority to lay the foundation and ground rules for the process of considering articles Read More…