Trethewey files for state House for Havre

Havre City Council member Janet Trethewey has entered the race for a seat in Montana House of Representatives, giving this region its second contested legislative race in the 2014 elections.

Trethewey, a Democrat, will face first-time candidate Stephanie Hess in the race for House District 28, drawn in the last redistricting to consolidate Havre into one legislative district. For several decades, Havre was split into multiple districts that included part of the city and parts of the rural areas of Hill, Blaine and Chouteau counties.

The only other contested legislative race in this region, to date, is the new Senate District 14 that includes HD 28 and House District 27, comprising Liberty and Chouteau counties and parts of Hill and Cascade counties.

Incumbent Rep. Roy Hollandsworth, R-Brady, is the only candidate to date to file in HD 27.

Two-term state Rep. Kris Hansen, R-Havre, faces long-time state Sen. Greg Jergeson, D-Havre, in the race for SD 14.

Jergeson was elected in 2012 after a decade out of the Senate, which he left due to term limits. After terming out of his next elected office, eight years on the Public Service Commission, he successfully ran again for the Senate.

Jergeson could not run for re-election in his district due to redistricting, which redrew the lines to include parts of Blaine and Hill counties in the district represented by Sen. John Brenden, R-Scobey, who is not up for re-election this cycle.

Jergeson moved to and took a job in Havre and announced last fall he would run in the new SD 14.

Hansen, who could run for the House twice more under the state’s term limit law, also declared last fall she would run for the Senate, opening up the seat for which Hess and Trethewey have filed.

The other incumbents in the region are running unopposed with Hollandsworth.

Rep. Mike Lang, R-Malta, is unopposed in House District 33 that runs from western Valley County through eastern Hill County. Rep. Wendy Warburton, R-Chinook, said Sunday she would not run for re-election in that district.

Rep. Clarena Brockie, D-Harlem, is unopposed in House District 32 that includes parts of eastern Chouteau and Hill counties and southern Blaine and Phillips counties.