In Hopes of Spurring Political Dialogue, FVCC Adjunct Professor Challenges Incumbent Republican in State House Race
Democrat and 26-year-old political science instructor Devin Marconi is running against freshman Republican state Rep. Terry Falk, 63, in a race for Republican-leaning House District 10
By Denali Sagner
Freshman legislator Terry Falk and adjunct political science professor Devin Marconi will face off next month in a race for state House District 10, which encompasses Batavia, Kila and parts of Kalispell (west of North Meridian Road and south of Farm to Market).
A first-time legislator, Falk during his tenure in Helena introduced a handful of policy-focused bills and voted 88% of the time with the Republican majority in the state House. He has described himself as “pro-life” and a supporter of law enforcement and limited government. In the Republican-leaning district, he is likely to secure reelection. Voters in the district 2020 supported former President Donald Trump with 69% of the vote, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines with 68% of the vote and Gov. Greg Gianforte with 67% of the vote.
Yet for Marconi, a young political science adjunct at Flathead Valley Community College, giving voters a choice on the ballot is critical for a functioning and responsive democracy.
While it may be a longshot for the Democrat to win, he believes the act of getting in the race has spurred productive dialogue in his district and allowed him to “contribute positively to the political arena.”
“I’m giving the people a positive representation of a Democrat, breaking some of those barriers,” he said.
Falk, 63, is a freshman legislator who, during his 2022 bid for office, won in a crowded Republican primary field and beat Libertarian city councilor Sid Daoud in the general election.
On his Facebook page, he said he hopes to implement increased financial literacy requirements in Montana schools and rein in local government spending to lower property taxes. He told the Beacon in 2022, “Government overspending of our tax revenue that we send to them needs to stop.”
Falk did not respond to requests to be interviewed for this story.
Falk has lived in Kalispell for over four decades, where he is a mortgage loan officer. He has served as an assistant seventh grade basketball coach at Stillwater Christian School, a member of the Samaritan House board of trustees and a deacon at his church.
Speaker of the Montana House Matt Regier in 2022 called Falk “an entrepreneur and businessman that understands the devastation that bad fiscal policy creates.”
The lawmaker in 2023 carried three successful bills through the Legislature, including a bill that allows some childcare workers caring for children 2 and older to work in another room during nap periods. Falk also carried two bills revising Montana’s liquor laws.
Falk supported a bill that would have established “community choice” charter schools in Montana, or publicly funded charter schools that would be governed by a board of parents and teachers and exempt from Montana’s public education regulations. The bill was partially blocked in court.
In a letter to the Beacon last spring, he said, “Our nation was built on free enterprise, and those principles should absolutely apply to Montana education as well.” He also wrote that “the woke ideology of transgenderism is being heavily pushed/taught in at least one western Montana school.”
Originally from Virginia, Marconi, 26, moved to Montana for college, informed by deep family ties to the state. He received a bachelor’s degree in 2021 and a master’s in 2023 from the University of Montana, both in political science, and is currently an adjunct government and politics professor at Flathead Valley Community College.
Marconi’s campaign is founded on three principles: “Your voice matters, bipartisanship is necessary, & local politics solves real problems,” his campaign website says.
“I’ve had some of the most conservative citizens have conversations with me,” Marconi said, recounting the months he’s spent knocking on doors across the western part of the county.
Marconi believes in protecting abortion access, working with experts to create a tailored wildfire management plan for the Flathead Valley and capping the number of short-term rentals in the area in order to bring down housing prices. He believes the tax burden should be shifted onto tourists and second home owners who do not live in Montana all year, and away from full-time residents, as the state tries to fund public education and other services.
He has a “deep respect for the Second Amendment” and a “commitment to preserving the rich tradition of responsible gun ownership in Montana,” and believes the state can implement legislation that upholds gun rights while encouraging responsible practices.
Most importantly for Marconi, this election is local and personal. His cell phone number is posted across his website, and he repeatedly encourages voters to reach out to discuss issues from abortion to taxes to crime.
“I just want better representation, people reaching out,” he said. “I’m just tired of the party politics.”
The general election is on Nov. 5. Absentee ballots will be sent out Oct. 11.
Read more about the candidates running for Legislature in the Flathead and Tobacco valleys here, and find out what legislative district you live in here. Check your voter registration here.