Political advertisements don’t have to be true. That’s what I gather from a ruling issued last month by U.S. District Court Judge Charles Lovell. And corporations can spend as much as they want on third-party efforts as long as they aren’t coordinating with political candidates, but no one is interested in determining whether that is […]

Americans Elect was a novel idea, even as it appears to be a failed one. The group acknowledged last week that it could not agree on a suitable third-party candidate and would suspend its search. Apparently the notion of launching a third party is a lot more appealing in concept than reality, which is a […]

The presidential election is just four-and-a-half months away and few politicians will risk giving up ground before they know the results. So, until November and beyond, expect a lot of complaints about nothing getting done by the people in Washington, DC who aren’t getting anything done. But there still is what most of us would […]

I recently arrived at my parents’ Spokane home. Before grabbing my suitcase, Mom was already standing on her front porch waving at me. It’s the same scene every time I visit. And it never gets old. Yes, this mother of three is still eager to see me after all those years of torture. As a […]

The governor of Montana has made quite a bit of news the last few weeks – from his comments on polygamy to his proposed pension fix to scenes of him passing out beef jerky in Times Square – once again raising the question of what Brian Schweitzer’s intentions are after he leaves office. For his […]

In March 2008, Brock Osweiler walked into the Flathead Beacon office. He towered over Myers Reece (the Flathead High School junior stood 6’7”), shook the reporter’s hand and smiled as he answered questions about his basketball season, which would be his last. A week later Osweiler was featured on our inaugural “Best of Preps” cover, […]

As the June primary approaches, fundraising numbers are a little more revealing as to who has the edge in statewide races, especially in crowded fields such as that for the Republican governor nomination. Former Congressman Rick Hill hauled in about $31,400 over the last month, between March 6 and April 5, has more than $300,000 […]

Following former Montana State University head football coach Mike Kramer’s firing in May 2007, the school’s leadership willingly provided their opinion on his dismissal. In a press release provided to media, Athletic Director Peter Fields said, “Looking at the football program as a whole and in light of the recent criminal activities of former student-athletes […]

Last week, Americans spent almost $1.5 billion on the Mega Millions lottery for a chance to win a record $656 million payout. That’s nearly $5 for every person in the country. Three people overcame the exceptional odds of one in 176 million, matched all six numbers and will share the enormous prize. The rest of […]

After a second Libertarian candidate filed for U.S. Senate, Montana Secretary of State Linda McCulloch had a choice. She could hold a primary for which the cost to counties would total between $350,000 and $390,000. Or she could simply place both men on the general election ballot. She chose the latter. What this means is […]

A record number of Montanans have filed for higher office in 2012 and while that bodes well for democracy, it could also make for some messy primary races. Among legislative contests, several local Republicans are vying for the same seats, some of which are in conservative districts where the primaries may be more hard-fought than […]

Does money really buy elections? We’re told that it does. I have previously written about the consequences of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision and how third-party and corporate money could have an outsized influence on our elections. Sen. Jon Tester and the man challenging for his seat, Congressman Denny Rehberg, have traded accusations […]

Lobbyists have a really bad name. And associating political opponents with them is increasingly popular as a way to imply “corruption,” “insider status” and “backroom deals.” So goes the race between Sen. Jon Tester and Congressman Denny Rehberg for Tester’s Senate seat. What began last year as general criticism of campaign cash from and ties […]

Real quick, explain how these primaries and caucuses work in layman’s terms. Perhaps you can, but I’ve been following the GOP primary elections more closely than most and still have difficulty understanding it all. It’s as if layers of rules are added specifically to confuse us. Take a look at what happened in Missouri. This […]

Recently, Beacon reporter Myers Reece wrote a short story from an interview with Montana Rep. Denny Rehberg in which he included the congressman’s response to a question about third-party spending. His response went a long way. Rehberg said he wanted “100 percent transparency” in campaign finances. But he added that, in his high-profile contest with […]