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 […]

What’s interesting about the STOCK Act is why it passed all. It only became a priority after a 60 Minutes investigation, which aired a few months ago, suggested that insider trading among members of Congress and their aides was widespread. In November, CBS News’ Steve Kroft’s began his segment: “Most former congressmen and senators manage […]

The Flathead Valley, at least in terms of its workforce, has radically changed over the past five years. While there are still those who long for the days when manufacturing and construction dominated the landscape, many of those jobs are gone – perhaps for good. That was part of the message delivered last week by […]

When President Barack Obama last week rejected the Keystone XL Pipeline, at least for now, Montana’s U.S. delegation swiftly rebuked him. Their support for the project has been steadfast and they directed a bipartisan chorus of boos at the White House. Then there was Gov. Brian Schweitzer, whose displeasure was aimed at an altogether different […]

It took until the 11th hour for the Kalispell City Council to extend the life of the West Side Tax Increment Finance District. As someone who now lives in the district, I have to wonder why it took so long. The area is in dire need of a facelift and the redevelopment tool has the […]

Sometime late last year, at least according to experts who estimate these sorts of things, Montana surpassed 1 million residents. The milestone was met with both delight and dejection, even if the number is largely symbolic. We have now joined 44 other states that have at least that many people. The six below that mark […]

Iowa has taken a lot of heat. Like previous presidential election years, the rest of the country wonders what makes this state so special that it always gets to cast the first votes at its caucus. The same could be said for New Hampshire, home to the first primary. The importance of these states is […]