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ELECTIONS 2016
Races in State O ces Feature Slate of Well-Known Candidates
BY TRISTAN SCOTT OF THE BEACON
Secretary of State
In the race for Montana’s chief administrative o cer of state gov- ernment, incumbent Democrat Linda McCulloch is prevented from running for re-election by term limits, making it an open seat.
Democratic State Auditor Monica Lindeen is running against Republican Corey Stapleton, a former state senator, as well as Libertarian candidate Roger Roots.
All three candidates were unopposed in the state’s primary.
The o ce of Secretary of State tends to alternate parties every one or two election cycles, setting the stage for a competitive race between Lindeen and Stapleton.
In 2008, McCulloch narrowly defeated Republican Brad Johnson by a margin of 1 percent, beating him again in 2012 by a margin of 6 percent.
Attorney General
The Attorney General is the state’s chief legal o cer, chief law enforcement o cer and director of the Montana Department of Justice.
Former Democratic state Sen. Larry
Jent, who works as an attorney in Boz- eman, was the sole candidate to  le to challenge incumbent Attorney General Tim Fox, who is running for re-election to a second term and was unopposed in the Republican primary.
Fox commended his work during the last three years, pointing to his e orts to combat human tra cking, help sexual assault victims and buoy programs to temper the state’s substance abuse and addiction problems.
It is Fox’s third time running for the o ce after losing to now-Gov. Steve Bull- ock in 2008, and defeating Democrat Pam Bucy in 2012.
Jent said his 16 years as a legislator and more than three decades as an attor- ney give him the experience to run, but his late decision to throw his hat in the ring has put him at a fundraising disad- vantage to the sitting incumbent.
Still, he challenged Fox’s positions in cases against the federal government over clean water rules and the A ordable Care Act, calling them politically charged.
State Auditor
In the State Auditor’s race, Matt Rosen- dale, a Republican state senator from Glendive who served as majority leader in the 2015 session, is running against
Democrat Jesse Laslovich, who is chief legal counsel in the auditor’s o ce and served in both the state House and Senate.
The formal title of the position is Commissioner of Securities and Insur- ance, held by Monica Lindeen, who is term-limited and running for Secretary of State.
The o ce of the Montana State Audi- tor is a criminal justice agency charged with the regulation of insurance and securities industries. It is organized into four divisions: insurance, securities, legal, and centralized services.
Lindeen’s bid for Secretary of State leaves the election for state auditor an open race.
Laslovich has portrayed himself as the candidate with the most experience since he has worked in the o ce for years, while Rosendale said his background in real estate makes him the most quali ed to sit on the state Land Board, which is part of the position.
In the context of the debate over the A ordable Care Act, or “Obamacare,” the race for the open seat has become prominent.
Laslovich says the ACA may have some problems, but that under Lindeen, the auditor’s o ce has pushed to have more state regulation and involvement
in its mandates — e orts that Rosendale opposed in the Legislature.
Rosendale says he believes the ACA will be repealed after Republican Don- ald Trump wins the presidency, and that it would be good to have an auditor who supports other alternatives to help lower health-insurance costs.
Superintendent of Public Instruction
In the race for Superintendent of Public Instruction, Republican Elsie Arntzen, a former state lawmaker and teacher from Billings, is running against Melissa Romano, a teacher from Helena and Democrat. Current Superintendent Denise Juneau, a Democrat, is term-lim- ited and running for the U.S. House.
Romano said infrastructure is one of the biggest issues facing schools around the state and would be one of her top focuses if elected. She also said one of her top priorities would be to establish pub- lic preschool, a measure that was high on Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock’s list of priorities last session, but failed anyway.
Arntzen said her focus lies with craft- ing Montana-made solutions that re ect the needs of the communities, rather than catering to the standards of federal curriculum.
tscott@ atheadbeacon.com
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