More than 140 candidates file for political office as Montana's election season kicks off

Icy roads and sideways snow didn’t keep a slew of political hopefuls from traveling to the Montana State Capitol on Tuesday to declare their campaigns for public office this year.

Registering as a candidate at the state Capitol is a ceremonious occasion that marks the official kickoff of election season every two years and brings in candidates of all political stripes. Others who don’t make the trip register online. As of Tuesday evening, 145 candidates had filed for state and federal office.

The filing period closes March 4, at which point there is likely to be another rush of candidates for legislative and statewide offices who file.

Here is a rundown of the races at the top of the ticket and what we know about them so far.

Western House District

Arguably the most closely watched contest in Montana this cycle is the race for the state’s western congressional district. Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke, the incumbent, has indicated that he plans to run for re-election, though he did not file Tuesday.

Democrats, three of whom filed on opening day, are lining up in an attempt to unseat Zinke.

Matt Raines, Ryan Busse and Russell Cleveland threw their hats in the ring. The fourth candidate, former U.S. Forest Service smokejumper Sam Forstag, says he plans to register his candidacy on Thursday.

All four Democrats have said they believe they’re the one to beat Zinke and that the representative is unpopular, but so far they have been hesitant to differentiate themselves from each other outside of their bios.

Raines, a rancher and Army veteran, is a Simms resident, which is outside the boundaries of the House district. On Tuesday at the state Capitol, he said the crowded primary has made it difficult to fundraise in the first quarter of the year.

Busse, a Flathead Valley resident and former firearms executive, was the 2024 gubernatorial candidate who unsuccessfully challenged Gov. Greg Gianforte.

At the Capitol on Tuesday, Busse expressed confidence in his candidacy because of his previous bid for office, saying that he has "momentum" and "name recognition" that they can build on.

Cleveland, another veteran based in St. Regis, held a campaign event at MAP Brewing in Bozeman where he registered remotely.

The western congressional district has been exclusively held by Zinke since its creation ahead of the 2022 election, despite being home to liberal population centers such as Bozeman and Missoula.

Former Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, in his unsuccessful 2024 reelection bid, beat his opponent in the western congressional district, a result Democratic candidates point to as a sign that they can win.

Zinke's staff did not respond to request for comment for this story.

U.S. Senate 

Montana’s senior U.S. Sen. Steve Daines was the first candidate to officially file on Tuesday, submitting his paperwork online only minutes after the window opened.

A two-term Republican incumbent with close ties to the White House, Daines enters the race as a strong favorite. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report characterizes the race as solidly Republican and said Daines, who last election cycle spearheaded efforts to flip the Senate back to a GOP majority, should have no trouble winning a third term.

“It is my greatest honor to serve the people of Montana in the U.S. Senate,” Daines said in a statement. “From cutting taxes and securing our border, to protecting our Second Amendment and standing up against government overreach, my priority has always been to put Montana first."

Perhaps the biggest potential threat to Daines’ re-election would be from a person who hasn’t even confirmed he plans to run, former University of Montana president Seth Bodnar.

The Montana State News Bureau first reported that he was considering entering the race as an independent candidate, buoyed by support from Tester. Bodnar stepped down from the top university post last month, but has not confirmed whether he plans to run.

Trey Gregory, a 32-year-old political newcomer out of Bozeman, announced last month his bid to challenge Daines in the Republican primary. He said he has $35 million of his own money and a lineup of country concerts throughout the state in the works to make sure his campaign makes a splash. He had not filed as of Tuesday evening.

Five Democrats have said they plan to challenge Daines from across the aisle: Reilly Neill from Livingston; Michael Black Wolf from Hays; Michael Hummert from Helena; Alani Bankhead from Helena; and Kate McLaughlin from Kalispell. None had filed by publication Tuesday.

Kyle Austin, a pharmacy owner from Billings, filed to run for Senate as a libertarian. He ran in the republican primary for Montana’s eastern congressional district in 2022 and 2024.

Eastern House District

First-term U.S. Rep. Troy Downing, a Republican, plans to seek re-election in Congress, and already faces three challengers who have declared their bids to unseat him.

Sam Lux and Brian Miller, both Democrats, filed their paperwork to enter the race on Tuesday. Michael Eisenhauer last month announced he is vying for Montana’s eastern congressional district but will run as an independent candidate, meaning he must collect roughly 7,200 signatures supporting his candidacy by May 26 to qualify for the general election ballot in November.

Lux, a farrier, and Eisenhauer, a semi-retired physician, are both from Great Falls. Miller is an attorney from Helena.

In a statement on Tuesday, Miller criticized the incumbent's support for Trump's tariff policies and Argentinian beef imports.

"We need to end the Epstein cover up, hold the perpetrators accountable, and start putting the American people first again," he said. "That's why I'm running to represent the people of Montana's Second Congressional District in Congress. We need to restore common sense to the halls of Congress."

Montana Supreme Court

The race to replace Supreme Court Justice Beth Baker features two district court judges from the same courthouse in Flathead County.

Judge Dan Wilson is taking another run at the state’s high court after he ran in 2024 but ultimately lost to Justice Katherine Bidegaray by roughly nine percentage points.

Judge Amy Eddy has been on the bench in Flathead County since 2015, and said last year that tenure set her up for the opportunity of an open race for the Supreme Court.

Neither candidate had filed with the Secretary of State’s Office by Tuesday afternoon. Baker announced last year she would not seek re-election.

As partisan politics have grown more and more present over the state’s Supreme Court races, candidates are still required to run nonpartisan campaigns. They can’t comment on issues that they may have to rule on later and can’t accept or broadcast endorsements from any political party.

Earlier this month, Wilson was the keynote speaker at the Montana Republican Winter Kickoff event that serves as the party’s premier campaign launch. He repeatedly referred to his campaign as nonpartisan.

The day was marked by much fanfare, with multiple legislative candidates also filing for office on Tuesday, staging photo ops and parading down the halls flanked by their supporters. So far, there are a number of competitive primaries shaping up.

Montana’s primary is June 2.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional comment from the candidates mentioned.