Rosendale files for U.S. House race

One of the top declared candidates in the race for Montana’s U.S. House of Representatives seat filed as a candidate Monday, joining several other candidates but leaving two major players in that race yet to file, with the incumbent yet to file for his declared candidacy.

State Auditor Matt Rosendale filed with the Montana Secretary of State’s office as a Republican candidate in the House race, joining former Rep. Kathleen Williams, D-Bozeman, and Republican Debra Lamm of Livingston, a former state representative and former chair of the Montana Republican Party, and Lewis and Clark County Republican Central Committee Chair Joe Dooling and Republican John Evankovich of Butte.

Absent so far are declared candidates Corey Stapleton, the Republican Montana secretary of state, and Rep. Tom Winters, D-Mont.

President Donald Trump endorsed Rosendale for the seat earlier this month.

But the candidate who started the rush for the seat when he declared he was running for Montana’s governor seat, Rep. Greg Gianforte, D-Mont., has yet to file for that race.

Gianforte drew some ire from his party last June when he announced at the Montana Republican Party Convention in Helena he was running for governor rather than running to retain his congressional seat.

Shortly after his announcement, Rosendale and Stapleton both announced they would run for his seat rather than running for reelection to their offices.

Williams, who lost to Gianforte in his race to retain the seat in 2018, Lamm and Dooling all filed on the first day allowed, Jan. 9.

Gianforte won a special election in 2017 to the House to take the place of Ryan Zinke, whom President Donald Trump appointed as secretary of the interior. Zinke later resigned from that position.

Williams and Libertarian Elinor Swanson challenged Gianforte’s run to retain the seat, with Gianforte winning with 51 percent of the vote while Williams took 46 percent and Swanson took 3 percent.

In that same election, Rosendale challenged Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., with Tester winning that race with 50 percent of the vote. Rosendale took 47 percent while Libertarian Rick Breckenridge took 3 percent.

Gianforte’s run for governor follows a failed bid for that office in 2016, when he challenged Steve Bulllock’s bid for a second term. Bullock, who cannot run for reelection to that office due to term limits, won in 2016 with 50.25 percent of the vote to Gianforte’s 46.36 percent and Libertarian Ted Dunlap’s 3.4 percent.

The governor’s race this year also has yet to see all the declared candidates file and has had some candidates drop out.

Along with Gianforte, Democratic Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney said he is running for the office as has Whitney Williams of Missoula, daughter of long-time U.S. Rep. Mike Williams, D-Mont., but they have yet to file.

Libertarian Lyman Bishop of Kalispell also has filed as a candidate in the governor’s race.

Libertarian Ron Vandevender also has declared, but has yet to file.

Montana House Minority Leader Casey Schreiner of Great Falls and former state Rep. Reilly Neill, D-Livingston, both had declared as gubernatorial candidates but dropped out of the race.

And Stapleton and Rosendale running for the House has opened some major races in their state offices.

Troy Downing of Billings and Nelly Nicol of Helena both have filed as Republicans in the race for state auditor, while Rep. Shane Morigeau, D-Missoula, has filed as a Democrat.

And the race for secretary of state has state Sen. Bryce Bennet, D-Missoula, on one side of the ticket, with Senate President Scott Sales, R-Bozeman, Rep. Forrest Mandeville, R-Columbus, and Stapleton’s chief of staff, Christi Jacobsen of Helena facing off in the Republican primary.

Republican Bowen Greenwood, who was elected clerk of the Montana Supreme Court in 2018, has announced his candidacy, but had not filed as of this morning.