Races for 2020 Montana offices continue to swell

With six months to go before people can officially register with the Montana Secretary of State’s Office, races for offices in the 2020 election continue to fill in Montana.

Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney, a former state legislator, announced last week in his home town of Butte that he is entering the gubernatorial Democratic primary.

Cooney joins an already-crowded race, with state House Minority Leader Casey Schreiner of Great Falls and former state Rep. Reilly Neill of Livingston, who are also running on the Democratic ticket.

U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., announced June 14 during the Republican state convention he will not run for re-election for that seat and instead is facing off against Montana Attorney General Tim Fox and state Sen. Al Olszewski of Kalispell in the Republican gubernatorial primary. Former Republican state Sen. Gary Perry of Manhattan has apparently dropped out of the race.

Ron Vandevender is running for governor as a Libertarian

Neither Fox nor Gov. Steve Bullock can run for re-election to their seats due to term limits.

Bullock is campaigning for the Democratic candidacy in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

After Gianforte announced his candidacy for governor, Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton, who had announced his candidacy for governor, announced he was switching to the U.S. House race.

Montana Auditor Matt Rosendale also announced he was running for that seat the Monday after Gianforte announced his candidacy. Former state Sen. Joe Dooling, R-Helena, and chair of the Lewis and Clark County Republican Central Committee, also is in that race.

On the Democrats side, former state Rep. Kathleen Williams of Bozeman, who lost to Gianforte in the House race in 2018, and state Rep. Tom Winter of Missoula are vying for their party’s nomination.

In the race for the seat held by U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., the only declared candidate is Helena’s Democratic mayor, Wilmot Collins.

The only state-wide office holder who is not terming out and has not declared as a candidate for another office is Republican Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen. She has no formal challenger in her race as of yet.

In the race to fill the attorney general position being vacated by Fox, Republicans Jon Bennion, Fox’s top deputy attorney general, and Austin Knudsen of Culbertson, former Montana speaker of the House, and Democrats Raph Graybill, Bullocks legal counsel, and Rep. Kimberly Dudick of Missoula have declared as candidates.

In the race to fill the auditor’s seat being vacated by Rosendale,  Democratic state Rep. Shane Morigeau of Missoula faces Republican businessman Troy Downing.

Downing lost the Republican primary in 2018 in the race for U.S. Senate. 

Downing lost the primary, which also included Olszewski, to Rosendale, who then lost to Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who won a third term in 2018. 

In the race to take the secretary of state position Stapleton is leaving, Montana Sen. President Scott Sales, R-Bozeman, faces Montana Sen. Bryce Bennett, D-Missoula.