Local Legislative Candidates Rake in Cash Ahead of Primary Election
Flathead-area candidates for the state legislature have attracted more than $325,000 combined in funding during the primary election cycle
By Mariah Thomas
More than $325,000 has flowed into primary campaign coffers in and around the Flathead Valley, according to campaign finance reports filed with the state’s Commissioner of Political Practices, reflecting campaign donations and expenditures through May 20.
That figure marks a hefty amount spent in some legislative districts amid a primary cycle defined by Republican infighting as the state and local GOP have tapped some candidates over others. Most of the valley’s contested primary races are between Republicans.
Of note: some Democrats running in non-competitive primary races (and a few Republicans) have already started collecting money in their general election coffers, rather than for primaries. This data set does not include funds collected for the general election, which will take place in November.
The highest grossing race in the area has been the contested Republican primary for House District 13, which makes up nearly a quarter of the total funding that has come into the Flathead and its surrounding areas this spring. The matchup pits three-term incumbent Rep. Linda Reksten against Finley Warden, a college student who previously worked as an aide for Gov. Greg Gianforte during 2023’s legislative session. Warden has edged out Reksten in fundraising, bringing in $42,490 to Reksten’s $34,507.50 in the Lake County district that includes the city of Polson.
Warden has spent more than $38,000, using his funds to pay for yard signs, mailers, social media and radio advertisements, and an ad in the Lake County Leader.
Reksten has spent more than $25,000, including paying Fireweed Campaigns for campaign management services. The Helena-based campaign consulting firm has helped several Republicans facing challengers from within their own party in this year’s primary cycle, but not without drawing ire from the state GOP for some of its staffers’ former Democratic connections. The party rebuked Reksten in April for Fireweed’s involvement in her campaign, along with donations she has received from the organization’s staffers and from a PAC called Conservatives4MT.
Both the state GOP and Lake County Republican Central Committee have thrown their backing behind Warden in the primary — a move which Warden previously said symbolizes he is the “true Republican” in the race. His donors include a slew of legislators who have aligned with the Montana Legislature’s Freedom Caucus, and the Lake County and Dawson County Republican central committees.
Reksten has called the rebukes “crazy,” and said the party has left her behind, in addition to several of her peers. Her donors also include several fellow legislators who have been targeted by the party: Hamilton Rep. David Bedey, Great Falls Reps. Ed Buttrey and Melissa Nikolakakos, and state Sen. Russ Tempel, of Chester.
While the race between Reksten and Warden has attracted the highest dollar amount combined, incumbent Kalispell Rep. Courtenay Sprunger has raked in the highest amount individually — more than $48,000 in total — for her third bid to represent House District 7. She has spent more than $30,000 of that sum, with hefty amounts going to film social media campaign ads and for social media services to promote those advertisements, as she tries to ward off a challenger from the right in the primary for the second cycle in a row.
Sprunger, like Reksten, has run afoul of the state and local GOP for her willingness to cross the aisle on some issues. She still boasts a conservative voting record, siding with her party’s majority 90% of the time in the 2025 legislative session. Both party arms have endorsed her opponent.
Luke Maxwell, Sprunger’s opponent in the Republican primary for HD 7, has raised $4,814.10 — just over a tenth of what Sprunger has brought in. That includes a sizable donation of $2,350 doled out by the Flathead County Republican Central Committee. Maxwell has spent about half his funds in the race to unseat Sprunger. Little is known about the political newcomer, who did not return a candidate questionnaire from the Beacon. His campaign website contains only a photograph of him and a button to make donations.
Democrat Madison Evans, a social worker, has also raked in around $3,000 during the primary cycle. She’s running unopposed for the Democratic nomination in HD 7, and will face whichever Republican makes it out of the contested primary come November.
The other threatened incumbent in the Flathead, Lyn Bennett, who represents the northern tip of the valley, has been outraised by one of her two challengers from the right. Entrepreneur Shaun Pandina has more than doubled the amount Bennett has in her coffers, with a total of $8,880.26 funneled into his campaign. The Flathead County Republican Central Committee boosted his fundraising efforts, donating $2,350 to Pandina when the committee voted to endorse him in March.
Bennett, the incumbent, has raised a total of $3,495.18. Like Sprunger and Reksten, she has lost support from the local and state GOP in her bid for reelection, drawing the party’s ire for voting yes on a controversial property tax reform effort in the 2025 legislative session. Bennett has defended that vote as one that was in the best interests of her district.
Nathan Purdy, a third challenger in the Republican primary in HD 4, reported $0 in funds raised and spent in the race.
On the Democratic side of the aisle in HD 4, Paula Koch, a teacher from Columbia Falls, has raked in and spent upwards of $1,000 during the primary. She has also started fundraising for the general election, in which she will face either Bennett, Pandina or Purdy.
Other contested races in the valley, largely between political newcomers, have attracted big spending, too.
In the Republican primary in House District 3, to take on incumbent Democrat Rep. Debo Powers, Cathy Mitchell and Derek Peachey have each raised more than $10,000, with Peachey edging out Mitchell. He has brought in $12,712.93 total to her $11,811.86. But Mitchell, a registered nurse, has spent more than Peachey, and earned backing from the local and state GOP over him.
And in House District 6, which runs through northeast Kalispell, Republican Jim Riley has raked in more than $17,000 in his first race to win a seat in the state legislature. He’s in a competitive primary against Arthur Dunn, who brought in about a third of that sum. Like in HD 3, Riley has also earned support from the state and local GOP arms over Dunn.
Absentee ballots are due back to county elections offices by 8 p.m. on June 2. Voters can check the status of their absentee ballots, if they’ve sent them back, by visiting the Montana Voter Portal, entering their information and clicking the “Track my ballot” button.
If voters still need to return an absentee ballot, the Secretary of State’s office recommended turning it in directly to local election officials. In Flathead County, voters should drop absentee ballots off with the county elections office, located at 290 B N. Main St. in Kalispell.
Voters can also cast a ballot in person on June 2 by visiting their local polling place. A list of those polling places can be found here: https://flatheadcounty.gov/application/files/4017/7930/1160/Flathead_County_2026_Polling_Places.pdf.
To read all of the Beacon’s primary coverage, visit the Northwest Montana Election Guide.