Recent campaign finance filings reveal that with just a month remaining until Montana’s June 4 primary, Governor Greg Gianforte holds substantial financial advantages over his opponents. During the fundraising period from March 16 to April 15, the incumbent Republican, Gianforte, amassed $157,000 for the primary and an additional $72,000 for the General Election, totaling $921,000 Read More…
Recent campaign finance filings reveal that with just a month remaining until Montana’s June 4 primary, Attorney General Austin Knudsen holds substantial financial advantages over his opponents. Incumbent Republican Knudsen secured over $56,000 during the month raising his total raised to $394,000. With expenditures totaling approximately $19,000, he concludes the period with over $230,000 in Read More…
Recent campaign finance filings reveal that with just a month remaining until Montana’s June 4 primary, Bowen Greenwood holds substantial financial advantages over his opponents in the race for Clerk of Supreme Court. Incumbent Republican Bowen Greenwood collected close to $25,000 in contributions during the month leading up to the primary, with expenditures totaling around Read More…
Earlier this month, a Montana environmental activist group took legal action against the state Department of Justice, alleging a violation of their constitutional right to access information by withholding communications between the department and a Canadian coal mining company. The Montana Environmental Information Center (MEIC)has long fought natural resource development in Montana. The group has Read More…
HELENA — Montana lawmakers heard testimony Tuesday on a bill that would put limits on the governor’s powers during an extended emergency – a response to the orders the previous governor put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. The House State Administration Committee held a hearing on House Bill 122, sponsored by Republican Rep. David Read More…
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines called Twitter’s Friday ban of President Donald Trump “censorship,” and demanded in a letter to the social media giant that the account be reinstated. Daines, a Montana Republican and Trump ally, said the move to ban a public official from the platform eliminates Americans’ access to important information and hinders their Read More…
HELENA – Governor Greg Gianforte today announced his appointment of Misty Kuhl to lead the Department of Indian Affairs. “Misty shares my commitment to create new partnerships and build stronger bridges with our eight tribal nations,” Governor Gianforte said. “I campaigned on the promise of bringing new and greater opportunities to Indian country, and I Read More…
HELENA — After pro-Trump protesters broke into the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, Montana leaders say they’re closely monitoring the national situation, but they’re not making major changes to security procedures at the State Capitol. Steve Baiamonte, administrator of Montana’s General Services Division, is director of security for the Capitol Complex, which includes all state buildings in Read More…
BOZEMAN — MontanaPBS is broadcasting and livestreaming a new weekly series, “The Rundown: Capitol Report,” each Sunday at 5 p.m. through the end of the 2021 Montana legislative session. The program will offer an in-depth look at Montana’s 67th Legislature with weekly updates, analysis and interviews. The series began Jan. 3 and is expected to Read More…
Culbertson, MT – Attorney General-Elect Austin Knudsen today announced the appointment of several division administrators to help lead the Department of Justice. “We have assembled a tremendous group of talented individuals; I am excited to have each one of them on our team,” Attorney General-Elect Austin Knudsen said. “Working together we will improve efficiencies in Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — A group of Montana Republicans is calling out GOP Sen. Steve Daines for his role in getting the CSKT Water Compact into the recently signed spending bill, calling it a “clear betrayal of our state and of President Trump.” Montana House Majority Leader Brad Tschida and 17 other state lawmakers signed on to Read More…
HELENA- Following the news that President Donald Trump signed the $900 billion pandemic relief package, Montana Senator Jon Tester released the following statement: “This critical economic stimulus package isn’t perfect, but it’s the result of bipartisan compromise that will do some real good for families and businesses in our state. READ FULL STORY
The Flathead County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to rescind their prior declaration of a COVID-19 emergency, saying none of the county’s emergency funds have been used to mitigate the coronavirus as county departments have relied instead on state and federal relief. The commissioners unanimously approved the emergency declaration in March, freeing up money that the Flathead City-County Read More…
A federal judge dismissed an environmental law firm’s attempt to block three timber projects around Bozeman and Hebgen Lake Thursday, but the firm isn’t giving up on the case. In an order Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris dismissed Cottonwood Environmental Law Center’s lawsuit over the projects altogether, writing the firm’s claims against Read More…
MISSOULA — There is another legal salvo in the fight over protections for the wolverine in the Northern Rockies, with conservation organizations filing a federal lawsuit challenging the latest decision to not treat the rare mammals as “threatened.” Some scientists believe there are fewer than 300 wolverines left and are being hurt genetically because they Read More…
Tensions are high over the fate of more than 3 million acres of public and private land in northeast Montana. Two groups have very different views on the future of this vast area. Alison Fox is head of an effort to turn it into the largest nature reserve in the nation. She’s the CEO of Read More…
HELENA – On Wednesday, 17 states asked the U.S. Supreme Court to accept a new lawsuit that is attempting to invalidate Democrat Joe Biden’s electoral victory in the 2020 Presidential race in four key states. Montana is one of them. Montana Attorney General Tim Fox says the odds of the high court accepting the late Read More…
The city of Helena is looking at modifying its firearm ordinance, after Montana voters approved a measure that limits how local governments can regulate guns. During an administrative meeting Wednesday, city attorney Thomas Jodoin told the Helena City Commission that the existing ordinance will have to be narrowed to bring it in line with Legislative Read More…
Let me tell you about the chatter I am increasingly hearing from those in the know here in Montana: we have a shot at getting a second seat in the US House of Representatives. Even with our state’s very poor response rate during the latest US Census count? Yes. At least that is what I am Read More…
Gov.-elect Greg Gianforte on Tuesday named the first member of his cabinet, announcing that outgoing U.S. Attorney for Montana Kurt Alme will be the new Republican administration’s budget director. Alme, who has degrees in law and business, just announced his resignation Monday from the U.S. attorney job in Billings. Gianforte said voters gave his administration Read More…
BOZEMAN, Mont. – Governor-elect Greg Gianforte today announced his joint-transition advisory team for the Department of Commerce and the Department of Labor and Industry. The advisory team will identify and review candidates to serve as the next directors of Commerce and Labor. The team will forward their recommendations to Governor-elect Gianforte. “For too long, Montanans Read More…
BOZEMAN, Mont. – Governor-elect Greg Gianforte today announced his transition advisory team for the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP). The advisory team will identify and review candidates to serve as the next director of the FWP and will forward their recommendations to Governor-elect Gianforte. “Montana’s landowners, hunters, and anglers share a tradition of Read More…
This year in Montana, Republicans swept every statewide and federal race, while also increasing their majority in the statehouse by 10 seats. Montana, once dubbed a purple state for its split-ticket voting, is now deep crimson. After four terms of a Democratic governor, a Republican will sit in Montana’s governor’s mansion for the first time Read More…
BOZEMAN, Mont. – Governor-elect Greg Gianforte today announced his joint-transition advisory team for the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) and the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The advisory team will identify and review candidates to serve as the next directors of the DNRC and DEQ and will forward their recommendations to Governor-elect Gianforte. Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. – This year’s election results in Montana prove, yet again, how divisive people’s views are on gun regulation across the state. Legislative Referendum 130, restricting local governments’ authority to regulate carrying firearms, passed by 51%-49%. LR-130 has quite a lot of history to it, dating back to 2016 when Missoula enacted a city Read More…
HELENA — As Election Day approached last week, most public polls had declared the big statewide races in Montana – U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor – to be relatively close, with Republicans perhaps having an edge. Yet the final outcome showed no such spread: Republicans cruised to easy victories, up and down the ticket, winning Read More…
On Friday Nov. 6 around the lunch hour MTN canvassed just over 50 voters in Helena to gauge their reaction to the election. Much like the vote, reactions were split. In regards to the state of the presidential election, around a third of those canvassed directly supported the president’s actions so far. ‘It’s a scam Read More…
South Dakota and Montana are the latest states to vote in support of the legalization of recreational marijuana use. Arizona and New Jersey voters also approved the legalization of recreational marijuana on Election Day. The addition of South Dakota and Montana means that there are now 15 states in the nation that permit marijuana use Read More…
HELENA- Results are in for the Montana Youth Vote 2020. The election was held Thursday in many schools throughout Montana and results were finalized at 4:00 pm. Around 4,500 students from Montana schools participated in the election. Two demographics were polled, grades K-6 voted for the President and other age-appropriate questions and grades 7-12 voted Read More…
With less than one week to go until election day, Montana’s Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) is bringing two of the US Senate’s heavy hitters to the Treasure State. Both Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) and Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R) will be in Montana. Rubio hit Great Falls on Tuesday, while Ted Cruz will be in Read More…
WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste Political Action Committee (CCAGW PAC) announced its endorsement for Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) for re-election to the Senate and Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) for governor. CCAGW PAC based its endorsements on the candidates’ lifetime score in CCAGW’s 2019 Congressional Ratings. Sen. Daines has a lifetime rating of Read More…
It’s less than two weeks before election day and Montana on Thursday again set a new record for COVID-19 cases reported in a single day with more than 900. Whoever is elected as Montana’s next governor will inherit oversight of the state’s response to the pandemic. Yellowstone Public Radio’s Nicky Ouellet and Rachel Cramer discuss Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — A new exclusive NBC Montana/Strategies 360 poll shows very close Montana races less than two weeks before Election Day. Strategies 360 conducted a mixed-mode survey of 500 likely November 2020 voters in Montana. Interviews were conducted Oct. 15-20. A combination of landlines, cellphones, and voter file-based online interviews via text message were used Read More…
Why is the union that is supposed to represent Montana school teachers spending $800,000 to campaign against a referendum on the ballot this November? Does it involve teacher pay? Would it take away the pensions of teachers or public employees? Nope. The teachers union is spending $800,000 to campaign against your gun rights. Legislative Referendum Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. – President Donald Trump has made several visits to Montana in recent years – in 2016 as a candidate for president, as well as in 2018 in an effort to flip Senator Jon Tester’s seat in the mid-term elections. Now, three weeks shy of Election Day, the president has not set foot in Montana Read More…
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) raised $26.8 million in the third quarter of the year for his bid to unseat Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), making him the latest Democratic Senate candidate to set a fundraising record in his state. Bullock’s third quarter fundraising haul is more than three times the roughly $7.8 million he raised in the second quarter, 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…