Around Cascade County, married couples seek two districts for one household

Coming into the 2021 Montana legislative session as a freshman member of the House, state Rep. Steven Galloway already had a woman on the inside.

“I think it’s beneficial in the fact that, for me coming in, I already understood the process from being able to see her work,” he said. “That was a leg up for my first session.”

He referred to his wife, state Rep. Lola Sheldon-Galloway, who had already served in two previous legislative sessions. 

“I was a great asset for him,” Sheldon-Galloway said. “And we worked that out real well, listening and taking advice.”

She added, “He doesn’t always take my advice.”

Familial ties among legislators aren’t new to the Capitol. In the previous session, Speaker of the House Matt Regier served alongside his sister, state Rep. Amy Regier, and his father, state Rep. Keith Regier, all from Kalispell. State Rep. John Fitzpatrick, of Anaconda, served alongside his son, Great Falls-area state Rep. Steve Fitzpatrick.

This year, married couples are noticeably present on primary ballots around Cascade County. Five candidates from three families are campaigning to secure four legislative districts. All are Republicans, and all face primary challenges. 

There isn’t a primary in which spouses face off against one another, and they don’t have to. Montana law requires that legislators only need to live in the state for a year prior to a general election and in their district’s county for those last six months (or in the district if it spans multiple counties). This allows couples from the same household to run for two districts that don’t share the same space on the legislative map.

Lola Sheldon-Galloway and Steven Galloway, both incumbent lawmakers, are running for Senate District 13 and House District 20, respectively.

There’s Hannah Trebas, who is running in House District 19. If her campaign succeeds through both the primary and general elections, she would take office alongside her husband, state Sen. Jeremy Trebas, who isn’t up for election this year and whose district includes HD 19.

And there are Melissa and George Nikolakakos. Melissa is seeking her first term in House District 20, while George is running in House District 22 for what would be his second legislative term.

As far as logistics go, the Nikolakakoses in particular have their work cut out for them. The hurdles emerged in recent months during primary campaigns with three kids at home (and a fourth off at college). It’s a lot to manage, but George Nikolakakos said that it was nice, almost like a date night, to share in the campaign chaos at the end of the day.

“It was kind of fun to have dinner after knocking doors and be talking about the interesting doors that you knocked on or saw an interesting mailer or news piece or whatever it is,” he said.

If they both make it to the Legislature for the 2025 session, they’ll bring their two younger kids to Helena for a home-school semester. That’s a whole project unto itself, but the Nikolakakoses are confident in their plans. And they said that their kids are excited about the potential capital city stay.

“They’ll get a nice experience in civics and government,” Melissa Nikolakakos said. “And for them to see that is just a great learning opportunity. A lot of kids won’t get stuff like that.”

Having already been in a session with her husband, Sheldon-Galloway sees her spousal connection at the Legislature as an oversight multiplier. She and Steven would often talk at length about the business of the day.

“I like the idea that we’re on different committees because I get a more intimate conversation with him being on those committees,” she said. “In the end, I’m not on two committees. I end up being on five committees when we talk about what we experienced that day.”

Of course, no paths are certain prior to an election. Not everyone in this story will make it to Helena next year.

Hannah Trebas has a Republican primary challenger in Darren Auger, a special education teacher in Great Falls. The winner of that contest will face longtime Cascade County commissioner and Democrat Jane Weber in the fall.

For House District 20, Steven Galloway and Melissa Nikolakakos face one another in Tuesday’s primary. The Democratic candidate in this district is Rina Fontana Moore, who was the Cascade County clerk and recorder for 16 years before losing a close reelection bid in 2022.

George Nikolakakos has a primary challenger in fellow Republican James G. Whitaker for House District 22. Ronald Paulick is the Democratic candidate for November’s election.

Looking ahead to the 2025 session, the Nikolakakoses aren’t sweating the details. Their kids might temporarily lose a favored piano instructor in Great Falls, but they will gain a bit of time at the Capitol. During 20 years in the Air Force, George Nikolakakos went on long deployments while Melissa handled things at home. In comparison, a few months in Helena isn’t too disruptive.

“It will be an easier deployment,” Melissa Nikolakakos said.

Or will it? Galloway said that some obligations for legislators seem to never end. There can be interim committees, perpetual reelection campaigns and non-governmental organizations to join. Galloway serves on the Energy Council executive committee alongside another set of married Montana legislators: state Rep. Katie and state Sen. Daniel Zolnikov.

The sense of obligation is consistent in the Galloway household.

“Don’t have any other hobbies,” Sheldon-Galloway said. “It consumes your life.”

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