With a record number of candidate filings, Montanans can expect to see competitive legislative races across the state, including several crowded ballots in the Flathead.
After filing closed on March 12, the Montana secretary of state’s office reported that a record 439 candidates filed for public office. The final tally from Secretary of State Linda McCulloch, which includes withdrawn filings, is up from 379 total candidate filings in 2010 and 388 in 2008.
Of the 439 filings, 325 were legislative, meaning candidates who are running for state Senate and House. The other 114 non-legislative filings include races for president, governor and lieutenant governor, U.S. Senate and House, secretary of state, attorney general, district judges and other positions.
In the Flathead, there will be a number of interesting legislative races to keep an eye on, with a smattering of newcomers hoping to unseat established incumbents in the 2013 state Legislature.
Incumbent Republican Bruce Tutvedt has two Republican challengers and one Democrat vying for his Senate District 3 seat. Republicans Rollan Roberts II of Whitefish and Jayson Peters of Lakeside and Democrat Shannon Hanson have thrown their names in the hat.
Senate District 2 is open because incumbent Republican Ryan Zinke is running for lieutenant governor on Neil Livingstone’s gubernatorial ticket. Three Republicans, including former state Rep. Dee Brown of Hungry Horse and current Rep. Bill Beck of House District 6 from Whitefish, will be battling in the primary.
The third Republican is Suzanne Brooks from Whitefish, who challenged Zinke in 2008. David Fern, a long-time school board member in Whitefish, is the lone Democrat running in the Senate District 2 race.
Down in the Polson area, Senate District 6 has a crowded ballot, with three Republicans and a Democrat. Cheryl Wolfe, a Green Party candidate, also filed but failed to receive enough signatures to appear on the ballot.
Incumbent Sen. Carmine Mowbray is being challenged in the Senate District 6 Republican primary by Michael Larson of Polson and Janna Taylor of Dayton, who is leaving her representative seat in House District 11 to run for the Senate.
House District 4 is open since incumbent Republican Derek Skees is challenging Democratic State Auditor Monica Lindeen for her office. Kalispell’s Tim Baldwin, the son of pastor and former lieutenant governor hopeful Chuck Baldwin, faces Walter Keathley of Kalispell in the Republican primary.
In House District 4’s Democratic primary, Ed Lieser and Tom Muri – both of Whitefish – will square off.
Most of the other House races in the Flathead have no primaries, with only one Republican and one Democrat on the ballot. An exception is House District 9, where incumbent Republican Rep. Scott Reichner of Bigfork faces primary opposition from Polson’s Frank Mutch. Democrat Rodrik Brosten of Bigfork is running as a Democrat.
Republican Jerry O’Neil of Columbia Falls is defending his seat in House District 3 against challengers Zac Perry of Hungry Horse, a Democrat, and Shawn Guymon of Kalispell, a Libertarian.
Senate District 2:
Bill Beck (R) Whitefish
Suzanne Brooks (R) Whitefish
Dee Brown (R) Hungry Horse
David Fern (D) Whitefish
Senate District 3:
*Bruce Tutvedt (R) Kalispell
Jayson Peters (R) Lakeside
Rollan Roberts II (R) Whitefish
Shannon Hanson (D) Whitefish
Senate District 6:
*Carmine Mowbray (R) Polson
Janna Taylor (R) Dayton
Michael (Mike) Larson (R) Polson
Craig McClure (D) Polson
House District 1:
*Gerald (Jerry) Bennett (R) Libby
House District 2:
*Mike Cuffe (R) Eureka
Ronald McDole (D) Eureka
House District 3:
*Jerry O’Neil (R) Columbia Falls
Zac Perry (D) Hungry Horse
Shawn Guymon (L) Kalispell
House District 4:
Tim Baldwin (R) Kalispell
Walter Keathley (R) Kalispell
Ed Lieser (D) Whitefish
Tom Muri (D) Whitefish
House District 5:
*Keith Regier (R) Kalispell
James Mahnke (D) Columbia Falls
House District 6:
Carl Glimm (R) Kila
Brenda Talbert (D) Kalispell
House District 7:
*Randy Brodehl (R) Kalispell
Diane Frances Taylor (D) Columbia Falls
House District 8:
*Steve Lavin (R) Kalispell
Brittany MacLean (D) Whitefish
House District 9:
*Scott Reichner (R) Bigfork
Frank Mutch (R) Polson
Rodrik Brosten (D) Bigfork
House District 10:
*Mark Blasdel (R) Somers
Alexander William Schaeffer (D) Kalispell
House District 11:
Greg Hertz (R) Polson
Bud Koppy (D) Kila
House District 12:
*Daniel Salomon (R) Ronan
Luke Walawander (D) Ronan
*Incumbent