Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines got a campaign assist early last week from former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who traversed the state to share her assessment of just how critical Montana’s 2020 senate race is. Daines himself had a busy week back in Washington, announcing the impending introduction of a bill that speaks to his stance on “court packing” and denouncing Amtrak’s reduction in rail service along the Hi-Line. The pandemic became a particular focus for Daines as he asked FEMA to assess Montana’s need for additional federal relief and urged the CDC to put boots on the ground in Yellowstone County to assist with rising COVID-19 case counts.
Coronavirus was also front-of-mind for Daines’ Democratic challenger, Gov. Steve Bullock, who cautioned last Tuesday that the state could face another economic slump if Montanans don’t take health guidelines more seriously. Bullock also dropped by a Missoula daycare program for an up-close look at where CARES Act dollars have gone before announcing new pandemic response measures Friday that include an avenue for anonymous compliance complaints. Perhaps his biggest election-related moment of the week came when he accompanied his daughter Caroline on a civic milestone.
A new set of polls sent mixed messages about Montana’s U.S. House race last week. One survey conducted by NBC Montana and 360 Strategies put Democrat Kathleen Williams and Republican Matt Rosendale in a dead heat with 46% each, while a recent New York Times/Siena College poll had Rosendale up with 50% to Williams’ 46%.
News broke Oct. 20 that Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte had loaned his campaign an additional $4 million, bringing his campaign war chest well above that of Democratic rival Mike Cooney. And MTN News’ Mike Dennison took a detailed look at the business background that ultimately put Gianforte in such an advantageous position. Meanwhile, Cooney’s campaign got dinged for campaign finance violations related to support from the Democratic Governors Association — just days before Gianforte’s camp was hit with violations concerning a much larger dollar amount.
Several statewide races became even more charged last week, starting with Democratic superintendent of public instruction candidate Melissa Romano’s criticism that incumbent Republican Elsie Arntzen had mishandled coronavirus relief funds for Montana schools. Court records emerged documenting a number of past allegations against Republican state auditor candidate Troy Downing by his ex-wife. And on Sunday, Lee Newspapers’’ Holly Michels revealed that a filing system touted by Republican secretary of state candidate and current deputy SOS Christi Jacobsen had resulted in duplicated financial charges for a number of businesses.
One final note: While Montana’s Senate race has attracted a barrage of national media attention over the past few months, an Oct. 21 story by New Yorker writer E. Tammy Kim took a different tack, examining not the race itself, but two distinct voter blocs that may well decide the outcome.
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House committee takes a second swing at ‘curriculum transparency” bill
The Montana Legislature’s House Education Committee reconvened Friday to revisit a bill it had tabled earlier in the week, one that would establish new public access requirements for curricular materials in K-12 schools and add a definition for “critical theory instruction” to state law.
Actress Lily Gladstone on verge of stardom
A new short film, “Lily Gladstone: Far Out There,” follows the Blackfeet/Niimíipuu actress on a journey back to her reservation after being away for three years.
PSC Commissioner Randy Pinocci sues Dept. of Transportation over removal of campaign signs
Republican Public Service Commissioner Randy Pinocci is taking the Montana Department of Transportation to court over its enforcement of the Montana Outdoor Advertising Act, alleging in a lawsuit that the law’s restrictions on the amount of time supporters of a candidate can display campaign signs after an election is concluded violates the First Amendment.