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…
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…
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…
Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke joined House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) in introducing the Great American Outdoors Act 250, legislation designed to reauthorize and modernize one of President Trump’s signature conservation achievements ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary. Zinke, a former Secretary of the Interior and Read More…
A Montana district court judge has dealt a significant blow to embattled state Sen. Jason Ellsworth, rejecting all five motions filed by his attorneys seeking to dismiss a criminal corruption charge — while simultaneously reinstating him to office after a suspension tied to the ongoing case. Ellsworth, a Hamilton Republican and former Senate president, was Read More…
WASHINGTON — Retiring Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke secured more than $22 million in community project funding and a broad range of Montana agriculture and policy priorities across three fiscal year 2027 appropriations bills that advanced through the House last week. The FY27 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration Appropriations Act passed the full Read More…
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…
Attorney General Ken Paxton won the Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate Tuesday, ending over three decades of Sen. John Cornyn’s electoral dominance in what amounts to a watershed moment for GOP politics in Texas. The Associated Press called the race for Paxton shortly after 8 p.m., about an hour after most polls closed in Read More…
A new survey of likely GOP primary voters in Montana’s 1st Congressional District shows Aaron Flint holding a narrow lead in a race where one-third of voters remain undecided, with significant room for ballot movement ahead of the June 2 primary election. The poll, conducted May 5-7 by Public Opinion Strategies, surveyed 400 likely Republican Read More…
The bipartisan legislation aims to stabilize American defense production lines by coordinating group buys among smaller allied nations that struggle to navigate the current arms sales process. Rep. Ryan Zinke (R., Mont.) and Rep. Ami Bera (D., Calif.) introduced legislation Thursday that would make it easier for groups of allied countries to jointly purchase American-made Read More…
A former state senator has publicly identified herself for the first time as the source of a confidential 2018 sexual harassment complaint against state Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, directly challenging his recent claims that allegations against him are part of a politically motivated smear campaign. Jennifer Gross disclosed Friday in a post on her Substack Read More…
U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) have introduced a bipartisan resolution commemorating May 5th, 2026, as a National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. “On this year’s National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, we remember with a heavy heart all those who have Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen joined the U.S. Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) at a press conference in Washington, D.C. to support the Trump Administration’s efforts to strengthen the Second Amendment and reduce burdens on law-abiding gun owners. “Today is a day of celebration for lawful gun Read More…
U.S. Senators Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) have introduced the China-Africa Mining Transparency Act of 2026, a bipartisan bill aimed at exposing China’s use of forced labor, child labor, and environmental abuse in critical mineral mining operations across Africa. “As we restore American energy dominance and onshore critical mineral production, it is imperative Read More…
U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy, along with Congressmen Ryan Zinke (MT-01) and Troy Downing (MT-02), sent a letter to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation requesting funding to repair the St. Mary Diversion Dam and Canal in northwestern Montana. The delegation is urging the Bureau of Reclamation to consider the St. Mary Diversion Dam Read More…
Congressman Ryan Zinke announced the House passage of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, commonly known as the Farm Bill, a comprehensive piece of legislation designed to strengthen American agriculture, support rural communities, and improve forest and land management. The bill includes six provisions sponsored or co-sponsored by Zinke. “The Farm Bill Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte has appointed a seven-member advisory council to help review candidates for the vacant district court judgeship in Montana’s Sixth Judicial District, which serves Park County and Sweet Grass County. The council will assist the governor in evaluating the lone applicant for the position, Livingston attorney Rebecca Robyn Swandal, after the application and Read More…
New allegations of sexual misconduct have emerged against Montana state Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy days after he suspended his campaign for Montana’s eastern congressional district. The latest claims come from a former legislative staffer who said Windy Boy showed her explicit nude photos of himself while she was working during the 2017 legislative session. The Read More…
A representative from Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen’s office appeared before a legislative committee Thursday to answer questions from lawmakers about the office’s public mailings and their handling of state voter data. Jacobsen’s elections director and chief legal counsel spoke to the Legislative Audit Committee on questions about mailers, billboards and voter data. In Read More…
A Montana Republican state representative, Llew Jones, received more than $4 million in low-interest federal loans through a program he helped create and sat on the commission formed to oversee — raising questions about conflicts of interest and possible violations of the program’s own lending caps, according to a report by Yellowstone County News. Rep. Read More…
Attorney General Austin Knudsen praised the Helena City Commission after it voted Thursday night to rescind its immigration resolution, calling the move the right step to keep the community safe. “The commissioners made the right decision voting to keep the Helena community safe,” Knudsen said in a statement. “This resolution should never have been passed Read More…
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines is urging swift confirmation of Katie Lane to the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana, calling her a principled, Montana-rooted attorney who would bring integrity and constitutional focus to the federal bench. Lane, a Bozeman native and nominee of Donald Trump, appeared this week before the Senate Judiciary Committee Read More…
U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy has introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at expanding access to cutting-edge medical treatments for veterans, particularly those suffering from mental health conditions such as PTSD and depression. The proposal, known as the Veterans Health Administration Novel Therapeutics Preparedness Act, seeks to ensure the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is equipped to evaluate Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is accusing Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen of trying to mislead voters with a new ad in the increasingly heated Republican primary for Montana’s 1st Congressional District, as the fight over President Donald Trump’s backing becomes a central issue in the race. Jacobsen’s latest ad has drawn criticism from Flint Read More…
The U.S. Senate has passed Sen. Tim Sheehy’s bipartisan VA Home Loan Awareness Act as part of the broader 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, marking an early legislative win for the freshman Montana senator. The bill, which Sheehy introduced as his first piece of legislation in the Senate, is aimed at helping more veterans Read More…
Congressman Ryan Zinke traveled to Bozeman and Seeley Lake to mark the delivery of more than $11.1 million in federal funding for water infrastructure and law enforcement projects in Gallatin, Beaverhead and Missoula counties. The funding is part of more than $35 million Zinke secured for Montana in the fiscal year 2026 appropriations process. The Read More…
Former University of Montana President Seth Bodnar is entering the race for the U.S. Senate seat in Montana, setting up what could become one of the state’s most closely watched political contests. Bodnar, a former Army officer and business leader, is launching his campaign with the support of prominent Democratic figures including former Montana Sen. Read More…
In a surprise move that stunned Montana’s political circles, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines withdrew from the 2026 Senate race just minutes before the state’s candidate filing deadline, abruptly ending his reelection bid and reshaping the field for one of the state’s most powerful offices. Daines, a Republican who has represented Montana in the U.S. Senate Read More…
Conservative commentator and radio host Aaron Flint has announced he will run for Congress in Montana’s 1st Congressional District, seeking the seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke. Flint, best known as the host of the statewide radio program Montana Talks, said he is entering the race to bring what he describes as a Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte joined the Mountain States Policy Center (MSPC) last week to outline his tax cut priorities ahead of the 2027 legislative session, emphasizing a renewed push to move Montana to a flat income tax. Speaking at an event in Helena alongside MSPC Founder and President Chris Cargill, the governor highlighted what he described Read More…
A liberal majority of the Montana Supreme Court has cleared the way for a sweeping ballot initiative backed by a coalition of liberal advocacy organizations, reversing Attorney General Austin Knudsen and allowing the measure to move forward. In a sharply divided ruling issued Thursday, the Court held that proposed Ballot Issue 8 (BI-8) qualifies as Read More…
The campaign of Steve Daines that Danielle Bradley will serve as campaign manager for his 2026 re-election effort, formalizing leadership for what is expected to be a closely watched Senate race. Ms. Bradley, who most recently served as executive director of the Montana Republican Party from 2021 to 2025, has longstanding ties to Mr. Daines’ Read More…
Austin Knudsen is leading a coalition of 19 state attorneys general urging the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate whether more than 150 U.S.-based climate organizations have violated federal law by accepting foreign funds to influence American energy policy. In a letter sent to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Assistant Attorney General for National Security Read More…
Donald Trump has nominated Montana attorney Katie Lane to serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana, filling a vacancy created by the departure of Judge Susan Watters. “Katie is Highly Qualified and Respected, and will boldly defend our Constitution,” Mr. Trump wrote in a post announcing the nomination. Read More…
Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke announced that President Trump has signed the Fiscal Year 2026 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriation Bill into law, providing more than $27 million in funding for bridges, roads, and water infrastructure projects across six Western Montana counties. As a member of the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Subcommittee, Zinke Read More…
Senator Sheehy (R-MT) joined Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) in introducing the Carbon Resource Innovation Act, a bipartisan bill designed to expand the 45Q carbon capture tax credit to include innovative technologies that capture carbon in solid or liquid forms. Supporters say the legislation will incentivize responsible forest management, reduce wildfire risk, and create economic opportunities Read More…
Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke announced that President Trump has signed H.R. 6938, the 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, which includes more than $8 million in federal funding for critical water infrastructure and law enforcement projects across Western Montana. “These projects come directly from county commissioners Read More…
U.S. Senator Steve Daines called for increased public safety resources for Montana tribes and commended tribal efforts to protect youth and families during a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing featuring Harlem Councilwoman Joan Johnson. Daines emphasized the Trump administration’s support for Indian Country, including enhanced law enforcement presence and the opening of a new FBI Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has joined a coalition of 23 state attorneys general in support of the Trump Administration’s effort to revise a Biden-era federal rule that they argue unlawfully imposed a political agenda and threatened funding for state disability programs. In a letter submitted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Read More…
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) and former U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D., Mont.) are reportedly recruiting University of Montana President Seth Bodnar to enter this year’s U.S. Senate race in Montana, potentially as an independent candidate. Despite indications he may run as independent, Bodnar’s extensive ties to Democrats at both the state and Read More…