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Montana primary election set for Tuesday

Montana will hold its primary elections Tuesday, as voters throughout the Treasure State weigh in on the Democratic and Republican races for president and legislative and local races.

In Hill County, polling stations will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Hill County Clerk and Recorder Susan Armstrong said that there are 9,015 registered voters in the county, of which 6,560 are deemed active. The remaining 2,455 are inactive.

Armstrong said that since absentee ballots were made available May 15, 3,451 were mailed out to Hill County voters, of which 2,363 had been completed and mailed back to the County Clerk and Recorder’s office as of Friday morning.

Hill County Commissioner

In Hill County, James Bedwell, a longtime county employee, launched a last-minute write-in campaign to be the Democratic candidate for the Hill County Commissioner seat.

Until two weeks ago, Democrats lacked a candidate to replace retiring Commissioner Jeff LaVoi. But Bedwell will be able to get his name on the November ballot as his party’s candidate if 141 voters in Tuesday’s primary write in his name.

If successful he will go up against Hill County Superintendent of Schools Diane McLean, a Republican, and Ted Solomon, an independent, in the general election.

House District 28

In Havre, many will be watching the Democratic primary in the Havre-based House District 28. Since March, Jacob Bachmeier, the 18-year-old vice-chair of the Hill County Democratic Party, and retired Montana State University-Northern professor Will Rawn have been locked in a fight for their party’s nomination.

Democrats hope to oust freshman state Rep. Stephanie Hess, R-Havre, in November.

Senate District 16

The term-limited state Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, is ineligible to seek re-election to the Senate seat he has held for two terms, and is, instead, running for the open House District 32 seat

Democrats have been engaged in a three-way primary to be their party’s standard bearer in Senate District 16, which spans from Box Elder eastward onto the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.

Former state Sen. Frank Smith of Poplar, a former primary challenger and rival of Windy Boy’s, is looking to defeat first-term state Rep. Bruce Meyers, R-Box Elder, in the general election.

In order to continue his campaign into November however, Smith will first have to stave off two primary challengers, LeAnn Montes, attorney general of the Chippewa Cree Tribe, and Bobbi Jo Favel, who works for the tribe.

Beyond Hill County, there are primaries in several legislative districts int he region.

House District 27

Darrold Hutchinson, a farmer and aviator from north of Hingham, sought to rally conservatives behind his bid to oust incumbent state Rep. Roy Hollandsworth for the House District 27 seat in 2014.

Hutchinson fell short in that effort, but with Hollandsworth termed out, he hopes he can represent the district that stretches down from the Canadian border to northern Cascade County.

He will first have to beat James O’Hara of Fort Benton, a former Chouteau County Commissioner and Republican primary candidate for governor in 2012.

The winner will square off against Democrat Ryan Rominger, a psychology professor and farmer from Floweree.

House District 33

State Rep. Mike Lang opted to run for an open state Senate seat rather than seeking another term in his solidly House district, which runs from North Havre to Glasgow.

Two young newcomers are competing in the Republican race, Casey Knudson, a rancher from Malta, and BNSF Railway conductor Michael Burns of Glasgow.

The eventual Republican nominee will face Mike Finley, a retired BNSF Railway worker in the fall.

Senate District 17

State Rep. Mike Lang of Malta is fending off a challenge from fellow Republican former state Rep. Wayne Stahl of Sacco in a district which runs from north of Havre east to the North Dakota border.

The candidate who prevails will go up against Douglas Adolphson, a plumber and motel owner from Glasgow.

Blaine County

Three Democrats: Rebecca Blankenship, Tami Sue Mitchell and Carrie Gilmore Mundlin, all from Chinook are vying to succeed retiring Blaine County Clerk of Courts Kay O’Brien Johnson.

The eventual winner will go up against Pauly B. Miller, of Chinook in the fall.

Chouteau County

First-term commissioner Stan Klimas, a Republican, has decided not to run for re-election. Three Republican are running to succeed him: Jim Olson, Clay Riehl and Dean Rominger.

Since there is no Democrat running in the general election, Tuesday’s primary will decide who will take Klimas place.

Liberty County

Chester Republicans Joette Woods and James Koffman are vying for the seat of retiring county commissioner Russ Temple. No Democrats are seeking the seat, so the winner Tuesday will be the winner in the general election.

Statewide

The primaries for statewide offices including for Montana’s only seat in the U.S House of Representatives are largely uncontested.

Despite having the overwhelming support of the rank-and-file of their respective parties, both Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, and Republican millionaire tech entrepreneur Greg Gianforte have nominal primary challenges.

Terry Nelson, a Ravalli County planning administrator, and his running mate Niki Sardot, a member of the Missoula Republican Central Committee, are seeking to pull off an upset win against Gianforte who shares his spot on the primary ticket with lieutenant governor candidate Phillips County Commissioner Lesley Robinson.

Bullock and Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney are facing a similar challenge from former state Rep. Bill McChesney, D-Miles City, and his running mate, Mike Anderson.

Presidential primaries

However, it is the presidential primary races that will briefly put Montana in the national spotlight.

California, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota will also be holding their Democratic and Republican presidential primaries Tuesday.

Democrats in North Dakota will also hold their caucus on June 7.

A total of 694 delegates will be at stake in the Democratic nominating process, 21 of which will be from Montana.

As of Monday morning, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton edged her Democratic opponent Sen. Bernie Sanders by 290 pledged delegates. However when unpledged “superdelegates” are included she led Sanders 2,357 to 1,566.

Republican Donald Trump already has 1,239 delegates, two more then the number needed to receive his party’s nomination.

However, former rivals Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida are still listed on the Republican primary ballot.

 

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