Republican Lukas Schubert Wins House District 8 Race
Capitalizing on his primary win against an incumbent Republican, the 19-year-old ultraconservative political newcomer defeated Democrat Beth Sibert to represent Evergreen and north Kalispell in the 2025 legislative session
By Maggie Dresser
Republican Lukas Schubert seized a commanding lead over Democrat Beth Sibert in the House District 8 race representing Evergreen and north Kalispell, winning with 71% of the vote.
Out of the 5,371 votes tallied, Schubert won 3,801 votes while Sibert had 1,570, according to preliminary results.
The victory comes after the 19-year-old hardline conservative ousted former State Rep. Tony Brockman in the primary election last June.
Graduating from Glacier High School in 2023, Schubert ran on a campaign that centered around his Catholic identity with goals of cutting property taxes, cracking down on immigration and limiting things like judicial power, access to abortion and transgender healthcare.
“I would say my top priorities are dealing with immigration, especially now that Trump is going to be in the White House,” Schubert said following the election.
Schubert said another priority is to push for judges to be permitted to run with partisan labels in Montana, a state that has historically held strictly nonpartisan judicial elections. He described the lack of partisan labels as “insanely corrupt” and said some judges need to be impeached.
As part of a solution to combat high housings costs, Schubert said property taxes should be cut, retirees need tax relief and the state needs a return of the logging industry. He also believes most non-U.S. citizens excluding some Canadians should be barred from owning property to open up more homes for Montana residents.
Schubert opposes Medicaid expansion and abortion access, despite the passage of CI-128, a ballot initiative that enshrines the right to an abortion in the state constitution.
As the youngest legislator in Montana, Schubert says his age will be advantageous in areas like technology, and he aspires to be on the energy, technology and federal relations committee.
“In terms of technology, I do think being younger and growing up with the internet my whole life … I might have some more knowledge and a different perspective and being Gen Z,” Schubert said.
Sibert, a therapist a Logan Health, ran on a campaign that supported Medicaid expansion, mental healthcare services and abortion access. She also believes in protecting Montana’s minorities and underserved populations, diversifying communities and raising teacher’s wages.
Despite her loss, Sibert is unsurprised about her opponent’s victory and described a positive campaign experience.
“I feel disappointed about all the races statewide,” Sibert said. “I feel like a lot of the Democrats worked really hard and there’s not much to celebrate today. It’s unfortunate that there’s so much out of balance for Montanans – there’s not going to be many checks and balances.”