On the steps of the Montana State Capitol, Governor Greg Gianforte was officially sworn in Monday for his second term as the 25th Governor of Montana. Accompanied by his wife, First Lady Susan Gianforte, the ceremony marked a historic milestone, as Gianforte became the first Republican governor to secure a second term since 1996. Chief Read More…
U.S. Senator Steve Daines has announced his committee assignments for the 119th Congress, taking on influential roles in the Senate Committees on Finance, Foreign Relations, Energy and Natural Resources, and Indian Affairs. These assignments place Daines at the center of critical policy discussions affecting Montana and the nation. “It’s an honor to serve Montanans in Read More…
Kenneth Britton “Britt” Cotter, 48, who was recently elected District Court Judge for Lake and Sanders counties, has been charged with one count of solicitation to commit criminal distribution of dangerous drugs and two counts of attempted criminal possession of dangerous drugs. The Montana Attorney General’s Office announced the charges following a months-long investigation led Read More…
Congressman Ryan Zinke announced that the Senate has passed the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act. The EXPLORE Act is a comprehensive, bicameral legislation package that includes Zinke’s bipartisan Gateway Communities and Recreation Enhancement Act introduced with Alaska Congresswoman Mary Peltola in May 2023. The bill passed the House in April and will Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is set to testify as a witness in the impeachment proceedings against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Homeland Security will conduct a hearing on Wednesday, January 10, titled “Havoc in the Heartland: Assessing the Impact of Secretary Mayorkas’ Failed Leadership on Read More…
In a significant development ahead of the 2024 elections, Montana is witnessing a redrawing of precinct lines for legislative races for the first time in a decade. This adjustment is a consequence of substantial changes in House and Senate district boundaries, prompting counties to meticulously redraw precincts. Connor Fitzpatrick, the elections supervisor for Lewis and Read More…
Dr. Anthony Fauci’s presence in Washington on January 8 marked the commencement of a two-day closed-door interrogation by the U.S. House of Representatives Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. The 83-year-old, renowned for his pivotal role in shaping the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic, faced a rigorous session of questioning under oath—a departure from Read More…
(The Center Square) – A coalition of more than two dozen state attorneys general have voiced their support for former President Trump after the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would review the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to remove Trump from the ballot for his connection to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. The state leaders have Read More…
(The Center Square) – The U.S. House Homeland Security Committee will be holding a hearing next week as part of its chairman’s stated plan to impeach U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Chairman Mark E. Green, R-Tenn., said the Wednesday hearing will be held to evaluate the impacts on the country of” Mayorkas’ Read More…
(The Center Square) – At a community college in suburban Philadelphia, President Joe Biden kicked off his reelection campaign by decrying Donald Trump as a threat to American democracy. “Trump talks about the blood of America being poisoned, echoing the same exact language used in Nazi Germany,” Biden said of his White House predecessor. “He proudly Read More…
(The Center Square) – U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., is seeking a second term, she announced on Thursday. “We need more strong conservatives here in the House,” Hageman said in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We need to flip the Senate and we must take back the White House.” Hageman entered office Read More…
Montana’s Attorney General, Austin Knudsen, declared his candidacy for re-election in November, emphasizing his commitment to combating drugs and crime, challenging the perceived detrimental effects of the Biden administration’s agenda on Montanans, and safeguarding the freedoms and liberties of the state’s residents. As the leader of the Montana Department of Justice, overseeing agencies such as Read More…
The Center Square) — Embattled U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez is facing new federal charges alleging that he worked as an agent for Qatar in exchange for monetary bribes. Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, was charged with receiving gifts from Qatar in a new superseding indictment made public Tuesday by the U.S. Justice Department that alleges the Read More…
(The Center Square) – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled against a Biden administration effort to require emergency room doctors to perform abortions, the latest step in an ongoing legal battle that could end up at the U.S. Supreme Court. In the case in question, State of Texas v. Becerra, the Read More…
(The Center Square) – U.S. House Republicans launched an investigation Wednesday into how scientists at the Food and Drug Administration who disagreed with COVID-19 guidance were treated. Federal watchdogs have recently released information showing that details around how experts in the Biden administration who disagree with things like COVID guidance are treated, and how their Read More…
The competition for control of the U.S. Senate in 2024 is already underway, with Republicans strategizing to flip the chamber. In the upcoming election cycle, a total of 34 Senate seats are at stake. Democrats face the challenge of defending 23 seats, while Republicans have to protect only 11. The majority of competitive seats currently Read More…
The implementation of a Montana state law scheduled to ban the TikTok app on January 1 has been temporarily halted by a federal judge pending the outcome of a lawsuit challenging the law. Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has filed notice of an appeal to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, contesting the preliminary Read More…
(The Center Square) – Americans pay hundreds of dollars per year in taxes on their wireless “family plan” for their cell phones. The Tax Foundation research shows the average American household with four phones would pay about $300 per year in taxes on a family plan costing $100 per month. “Since 2012, the average charge Read More…
(The Center Square) – The Colorado Republican Party is appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court in a case where the state Supreme Court ruled to remove Donald Trump from the 2024 Republican presidential primary ballot. The appeal automatically places the former president on the March 5, 2024, primary ballot when certification takes place on Jan. Read More…
(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Justice says it will sue Texas over a new law that makes illegal entry into Texas from a foreign country between ports of entry a state crime. Gov. Greg Abbott signed SB 4 into law on Dec. 18, saying its goal is to “stop the tidal wave Read More…
Efforts to convene a special session of the Montana Legislature aimed at addressing tax-related concerns have fallen short. On Friday evening, the Montana Secretary of State’s Office disclosed the outcomes of a legislative poll. Of the total votes cast, 55 were in favor of scheduling a special session on January 15, falling short of the Read More…
As the 2024 election cycle gains momentum, all eyes are on the Montana Senate race, which is anticipated to be a focal point next year. The state hosts one of three Democratic-held U.S. Senate seats up for grabs in states won by Donald Trump in the previous election, the others being Ohio and West Virginia. Read More…
In a press release, the MCV Action fund, an independent Political Action Committee aligned with the liberal environmental activist group Montana Conservation Voters, proclaimed its formal endorsement of Democrat Ryan Busse in his gubernatorial bid for Montana. Democrat political staffer Jill Lombardi, the chair of the MCV PAC board, praised Busse, saying, “Ryan Busse has Read More…
A group of people came together outside the Cascade County Courthouse Annex in Great Falls on Monday, December 11, 2023, to protest a proposal to remove election duties from the County Clerk and Recorder’s Office. “It’s our right as citizens to elect the person that takes care of our elections,” said Lisa Bennett. “If that goes Read More…
National Democrat aligned groups are actively working towards placing a state constitutional amendment on abortion on Montana’s ballot next year. The move is aimed at bolstering the re-election prospects of Democratic Senator Jon Tester, who is identified as one of the most vulnerable Senate incumbents in the upcoming 2024 elections. READ THE FULL STORY: https://politics406.com/montana-abortion-ballot-measure-aims-to-boost-tester/
Helena – A judge heard testimony in a case aiming to resolve an ambiguity regarding the interaction between the governor’s authority to veto a bill and the Legislature’s power to overturn that veto. Attorneys presented oral arguments in a lawsuit concerning Gov. Greg Gianforte’s veto of Senate Bill 442. District Judge Mike Menahan, a former Read More…
Montana Senator Steve Daines is urging a progressive fundraising powerhouse to cease processing donations for groups sympathetic to Hamas. ActBlue, the primary fundraising platform for Democratic campaigns nationwide, facilitates contributions for several organizations that either participated in or amplified rallies commemorating Hamas’ violent attack on innocent Israeli civilians on October 7, resulting in over 1,200 Read More…
A coalition of individuals, organizations, and businesses has strongly contested a Montana law that places restrictions on drag performances and prohibits drag reading events at public schools and libraries. In a recent legal development, this group has urged a federal judge to promptly declare the law unconstitutional without resorting to a trial. In the filed Read More…
HELENA — A judge in Helena has dismissed the lawsuit brought by state Rep. Zooey Zephyr challenging the constitutionality of disciplinary actions taken by legislative Republicans against her during the recent session. District Court Judge Mike Menahan deemed the lawsuit moot, stating that Zephyr’s disciplinary measures ceased with the conclusion of the session. In April, Read More…
This week, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen formally responded to a complaint alleging professional misconduct, characterizing it as “highly irregular” and defending his actions in the dispute between the Montana Legislature and the state Supreme Court. In a 50-page response submitted on Monday to the state Commission on Practice by lawyers representing Knudsen, both private Read More…
Cory Swanson, the Broadwater County Attorney and Army veteran, officially declared his candidacy for the Montana Supreme Court this week, initiating a competition with former magistrate judge and liberal trial lawyer Jerry Lynch for the position of chief justice. In a campaign announcement on the Montana Talks radio show, Swanson emphasized the importance of fairness Read More…
HELENA — Montana legislators are poised to make a pivotal decision regarding the convening of a special session early next year to address tax-related matters, notably the resolution of a property tax dispute by the state Supreme Court. The Montana Freedom Caucus, comprising fervently conservative Republican lawmakers, formally requested a special session on January 15, Read More…
WASHINGTON — Hunter Biden extended an offer on Tuesday to testify publicly before Congress in response to a subpoena from Republicans delving into various aspects of his business dealings amid their pursuit of an impeachment inquiry into his father, President Joe Biden. Characterizing the investigation as a “fishing expedition,” the son of the Democratic president Read More…
The most pressing political challenge confronting President Joe Biden as he drifts uncontested toward renomination is that which he can do the least about: voters’ profound misgivings about his age and fitness to serve another full term. Yet what’s striking, and to his allies increasingly unnerving, is Biden’s unwillingness even to try to fully address Read More…
Montana saw more than $160 million in spending during the 2020 U.S. Senate race, and with more than a year to go until the 2024 Senate election, it appears the state is again on track for a race with huge amounts of money raised. The campaigns of U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and Republican candidate Tim Sheehy Read More…
A new story from NBC news outlines how Senator Jon Tester’s public image as an ethics crusader doesn’t align with the reality of his 16 years in office. From NBC: “Despite his push for lobbying reform, Tester over the years has ranked among the Senate’s top recipients of campaign cash from lobbyists, according to OpenSecrets, Read More…
A new report from CNN has found that Senator Jon Tester failed to follow through on the ethics pledge he made the center of his 2006 campaign against incumbent Conrad Burns. From the CNN report: “I’ll end secret meetings with lobbyists. At the end of every business day, I will post a list of every Read More…
Democrats are using a new super PAC to meddle in the Montana GOP Senate primary and stop former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy from emerging as the nominee, campaign finance disclosures suggest. The new group, Last Best Place PAC, registered with the Federal Election Commission last week and placed a six-figure ad buy attacking Sheehy’s business career, describing Read More…
As Mitt Romney‘s cell phone started ringing incessantly in the minutes following his Wednesday retirement announcement, he silenced it and lamented during an interview that President Joe Biden shouldn’t run for reelection. Just five minutes after Romney said that, he got a phone call that he couldn’t ignore: It was Biden. “There are certain calls you Read More…
As of now, the top three candidates for Billings City Council Ward 3 are: Danny Choriki with 1,091 votes (26.83%) Charles W. Loveridge with 1,294 votes (31.82%) Bill Kennedy with 1,331 votes (32.73%) The top two candidates will progress to the general election on November 7th. Current voter numbers are as follows: -Registered Voters – Total 14,180 Read More…
The TEACH Act, or Tomorrow’s Educators Are Coming Home Act, was signed into law in 2021 by Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte. Today, backers say it’s making a dent in the teacher shortage by providing incentives and loosening licensing requirements. On Tuesday, Gianforte visited Lockwood High School to meet two new teachers, who were hired through the TEACH Act. Read More…
The early conventional wisdom appears to be that Sen. Ted Cruz is in solid shape for reelection in 2024. Cook’s Political Report rates the race as “Likely R,” as does Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball. Inside Elections is more circumspect, labeling the race as a “battleground,” although Inside Elections currently only labels races as “safe” or Read More…
A new state law that bans the social media app TikTok from operating in Montana is set to take effect Jan. 1 – but before that, a federal judge will have to consider whether to put the law on hold. On Friday, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s office filed their response to a federal lawsuit Read More…
Montana State Superintendent Elsie Arntzen announced Monday she is running for U.S. House. According to Arntzen’s Twitter account, she’ll be running for Montana’s second Congressional district on the condition that Rep. Matt Rosendale seeks the U.S. Senate nomination. In a statement, Arntzen said if Rosendale seeks reelection to the House, the exploratory committee will cease operations and return Read More…