Hill County Democrats open new office

With fewer than 90 days left until Election Day, Hill County Democrats held a grand opening Thursday night at their new campaign headquarters.

Local party activists and members of the Montana Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, an arm of the Montana Democratic Party that raises money and helps run the campaigns of state legislative candidates, gave speeches.

The office is a 250 square foot space consisting of an office lobby and three back rooms on the second floor of the former Masonic Temple, now called the 305 Building, on Third Avenue in Havre.

The space will serve as a clearinghouse for signs and literature for Democratic campaigns throughout the district and in the Havre area.

Jacob Bachmeier, the party's candidate for state representative in the Havre-based House District 28 race, said two back rooms will eventually serve as satellite offices for Gov. Steve Bullock and congressional candidate Denise Juneau, both Democrats who will be on the ballot in November.

Bachmeier faces Republican Rep. Stephanie Hess in the November election.

Erica Farmer and her husband, Marc Whitacre, who purchased and rehabilitated the building last year, were at the office's grand opening.

"I told them they could start small so they could have room for their volunteer work, phone calls, all the things campaigns need to do," Farmer said.

Bachmeier said the historic location could be a benefit.

"There are a lot of people who like to wander the building, the owners said, because this is such a cool location," Bachmeier said.

He said he looked at other locations such as one in the Atrium Mall and several First Street properties.  

The office is being run by Ryan Russell, an MDLCC staff member from Missoula.  

Amanda Frickle, director of the MDLCC, said that while the office will serve Democrats in statewide races and those in the Havre area, it is mostly aimed at Bachmeier's race as the main focus.

"This is a totally winnable seat, and we are really excited about Jacob, so I think this is a good place for us to be and you will see us around quite a bit until November," she said.

Bachmeier, 18, vice chair of the Hill County Democratic Party, defeated retired Montana State University-Northern Professor Will Rawn for the party's nomination in the June 8 primary. He hopes to unseat first-term Republican Stephanie Hess, R-Havre, in the general election.

"We feel like this race is going to be one to watch this year," Frickle said.

Havre has traditionally been a stronghold for Democrats, but in the past several elections, local house seats have been won by Republicans, something Frickle said is due at least in part to low turnout in midterm elections.

She said that, though several items on the governor's agenda were passed with bipartisan support in the 2015 legislative session, such as Medicaid expansion and legislation increasing reporting requirements for outside campaign groups, they passed by extremely narrow margins.

Frickle said that in the a year dominated by the presidential campaign, many Montanans feel that their vote doesn't matter in a state with only three electoral votes.

However, she said, it is down ballot races, where voters can have the most impact.    

"When folks are thinking I don't matter as a Montana, I can't influence the presidential election, I can't influence statewide races, all these other people are really determining the outcome, where you determine the outcome is in legislative races," Frickle said.