The March 12 filing deadline has come and gone, and the 2018 races for county, state and federal offices have taken shape.
The primary election takes place June 5, and will be the determining election for several races in Flathead County in which only Republicans have filed for the jobs.
County
The race for Flathead County sheriff will be determined in the primary election, with Republicans Jordan White, Calvin Beringer, Brian Heino, and Keith Stahlberg vying for the top-cop position.
There is also a tangle of Republicans hoping to secure the GOP nomination for the Flathead County Commission District 3 seat, currently held by Gary Krueger, who filed to run for re-election. Other GOP members running for the seat include Gerald “Jay” Scott, Randy Brodehl, and Ronalee Skees. Tom Clark, the lone Democrat in the county commission race, will face the winner of the primary election in November’s general election.
Two candidates have applied for Justice of the Peace Department 2, a nonpartisan position: William Managhan and Paul Sullivan. Eric Hummel is running unopposed for Justice of the Peace Department 1.
Republicans in these races are running unchallenged: Debbie Pierson for Clerk and Recorder; Travis Ahner for County Attorney; Adele Krantz for Treasurer and Public Administrator; and Jack Eggensperger for Superintendent of Schools.
State
Local candidates for House Districts (HD) and Senate Districts (SD) include:
SD 4: Incumbent Republican Mark Blasdel and Democrat Diane Taylor-Mahnke
SD 5: Incumbent Republican Bob Keenan and Democrat Jennifer Allen
HD 3: Incumbent Democrat Zac Perry and two challengers, Republican Jerry O’Neil and Libertarian Shawn Leslie Guymon
HD 4: Incumbent Republican Matt Regier and Democrat Kwen Shirley
HD 5: Incumbent Democrat Dave Fern and Libertarian Cindy Dyson
HD 6: Incumbent Republican Carl Glimm and Democrat Mary Custer
HD 7: Incumbent Republican Frank Garner faces a primary challenge from Republican Rob Welzel; the winner will face Democrat James Cossitt
HD 8: Libertarian Sid Daoud and Republican John Fuller are running for a seat without an incumbent challenger
HD 9: Republicans David Dunn and Warren A. Illi are running; Democrat Robert Petersen is also running
HD 10: Incumbent Republican Mark Noland and Libertarian Bill Jones
HD 11: Incumbent Republican Derek Skees and Democrat JoBeth Blair
HD 13: Incumbent Republican Bob Brown and Democrats Gerald Culliver and Chris Gross
Federal
The race for Montana’s lone congressional seat has attracted incumbent Republican Greg Gianforte; Green Party candidate Doug Campbell; Democrats John Heenan, Grant Kier, John Meyer, Lynda Moss, Jared Pettinato, and Kathleen Williams; and Libertarian Elinor Swanson.
The race for one of Montana’s two seats in the U.S. Senate includes incumbent Democrat Jon Tester; Libertarian Rick Breckenridge; Republicans Troy Downing, Russ Fagg, Albert Olszewski, and Matt Rosendale; and Green Party candidates Timothy Adams and Steve Kelly.
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Eric Hummel is running unopposed for Justice of the Peace Department 1.