Filing sets up Republican primary for Chouteau County commissioner

A few more high-profile candidates have filed in state races, but some major candidates have yet to file in top-level races and though filing in local county races is light so far, a filing Thursday has set up a primary election in Chouteau County.

Rick Darlington of Big Sandy filed Thursday as a Repbuclican in the race for Chouteau County Commission District 1, challenging incumbent Republican Commissioner Daren Schuster, also of Big Sandy.

In other Chouteau County races, incumbent Republican Rick Cook has filed for re-election as clerk of district court/superintendent of schools/county surveyor.

No one had filed as of 8 a.m. today in the race for Chouteau County public administrator, now held by Democrat Karen Brooke. 

In Hill County, Democratic incumbent Clerk of District Court Kathy Vigliotti has filed for re-election, but no one had filed for the Hill County Commission seat held by Democrat Mike Wendland as of 8 a.m today, nor for the Hill County superintendent of schools position held by Marie Deegan nor the administrator position held by Maggie Big Leggins, both appointees.

A story in Wednesday’s edition of the Havre Daily News misreported that no one had filed for the Hill County sheriff position held by Jamieson Ross. That seat is not up for election.

The same is true for the seat in Senate District 14 seat held by Sen. Russ Tempel, R-Chester. That seat is not up for election.

In Blaine County races, incumbent Democratic Commissioner Dolores Plumage has filed for re-election and Jim Doyle has filed as a Democrat in the race for clerk of district court, now held by Democrat Tami Mitchell.

In Liberty County, incumbent Commissioner Maureen Wicks and incumbent Clerk of District Court Anne Seidlitz-Melton, both Democrats, have filed as candidates for re-election.

On the legislative level, all local filings are by incumbents, but a few sitting legislators have not yet filed for re-election.

Sen. Mike Lang, R-Malta, Rep. Jacob Bachmeier, D-Havre, Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder have not filed as candidates for re-election.

Two candidates are filing to switch seats. Rep. Bridget Smith, D-Wolf Point, who cannot run for re-election in House District 31 due to term limits, has filed for the seat in Senate District 16 now held by Sen. Frank Smith, D-Poplar, while he has filed as a candidate for the seat in HD 31..

Incumbent Reps. Josh Kasmier, R-Fort Benton, and Casey Knudsen, R-Malta, have filed for re-election to the seats in House District 27 and 33, respectively.

Some high-profile candidates for state- and federal-level races have filed in the last few days, but some are conspicuous by their absence. 

Several people have declared for Montana governor, where incumbent Democrat Steve Bullock cannot run for re-election due to term limits, including Montana Attorney General Tim Fox, a Republican who cannot run for re-election to that office because of term limits.

But no one had filed for governor as of this morning, including Fox and U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., who won a special election in 2017 to the House then defeated former Montana legislator Kathleen Williams of Bozeman in 2018 to retain the seat.

  State Sen. Al Olszewski, R-Kalispell, who lost in the 2018 Republican primary in the race to challenge Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., also has declared his gubernatorial candidacy but had not filed as of this morning.

On the Democrat side, several candidates also have declared but had not filed as of this morning. Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney, a former Montana legislator and secretary of state, Montana House of Representatives Minority Leader Casey Schreiner of Great Falls, former state Rep. Reilly Neil of Livingston and Missoula businesswoman Whitney Williams, daughter of former U.S. Rep. Pat Williams, have declared but not filed.

That 2018 Senate primary Olszewski was in also included Billings businessman Troy Downing, former state District Judge Russ Fagg, and state Auditor Matt Rosendale, who won the Republican primary but lost to Tester.

Rosendale and Republican Secretary of State Corey Stapleton have declared they will run to fill the U.S. House seat, which Gianforte is leaving to run for governor, but neither had filed as of this morning. Neither had Republican Corvallis School Superintendent Timothy Johnson 

Candidates who had filed were Republican Joe Dooling, Lewis and Clark County Republican Party chair; Republican John Evankovich of Butte; former state Rep. Debra Lamm of Livingston, who also chaired the Montana Republican Party, and Kathleen Williams, taking a second run for the office as a Democrat.

Democrats Matt Rains of Simms and Rep. Tom Winters of Missoula have declared for the House race but had not filed as of this morning.

In the race for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Steve Daines, Daines had not filed yet as of this morning but Democrat John Mues of Loma had.

Helena Democratic Mayor Wilmot Collins declared his candidacy for the seat, but had not filed as of this morning, as is true of Democrats Mike Knoles and Cora Neumann, both of Bozeman.

In the race for Montana attorney general, Rep. Kimberly Dudik of Frenchtown and Bullock’s chief legal counsel Raph Graybill, both Democrats, had filed and former Speaker of the House of Representatives Austin Knudsen, the Roosevelt County attorney, announced he would file this morning.

Troy Downing is back on a Montana ballot, filing as a Republican for state auditor, as has Republican Nelly Nicol of Helena and Rep. Shane Morigeau, D-Missoula.

In the race for state superintendent of public instruction, Democrat Melissa Romano of Helena, who lost the 2016 election to Republican Elsie Arntzen, has filed. Arntzen had not filed for re-election as of this morning.

And the race for secretary of state is filling up. 

On the Republican side, state Senate President Scott Sales of Bozeman, Forrest Mandeville of Columbus and Christi Jacobsen of Helena have filed. 

Rep. Bryce Bennett, D-Missoula, is the sole Democratic candidate in that race so far.