Eric Hinebauch secured his spot as the Republican candidate for Cascade County Commission District 3 in Tuesday’s primary.
He defeated incumbent and current commissioner Rae Grulkowski, who often broke from the two other Republican commissioners’ votes, notably when the county clerk and recorder was stripped of election oversight last year.
The primary challenge drew upon the emotional charge that followed the elections administration saga, which brought added scrutiny to Cascade County elections and attention to divisions within county government.
Hinebauch said he was expecting a tight race as he faced a sitting commissioner.
“It was a lot of work, and I’m excited to move on to the general,” Hinebauch told Montana Free Press Wednesday morning. “I wasn’t expecting the turnout that we had, but it’s very encouraging.”
Hinebauch took 57 percent of the vote, beating Grulkowski by 14 points. More than 12,000 voters cast ballots in the contest. Grulkowski did not return calls for comment.
Grulkowski first won election in 2022 to serve the remainder of Democrat Jane Weber’s term. She raised her profile last year as the lone commissioner to vote against a resolution to strip Clerk and Recorder Sandra Merchant of her election duties. Merchant’s handling of elections in 2023 led to a lawsuit, public criticism and scrutiny from within county government. County commissioners ultimately appointed an election administrator, former Great Falls Association of Realtors CEO Terry Thompson.
Grulkowski identifies with the more far-right vein of Montana Republicans and has said she felt targeted for her willingness to break from the other commissioners.
Hinebauch is viewed as more moderate. He chairs the Cascade County Republican Central Committee and served an appointed term on the Great Falls City Commission from late 2021 to 2023. Going into the primary, Hinebauch had not won an election, including runs for city commission in 2021 and 2023, as well as a 2020 run for the Great Falls Public Schools Board of Trustees.
Hinebauch’s primary contributors included some key figures in county conflicts over the past 18 months. Longtime County Commissioner Joe Briggs, who voted to change an ordinance and remove Grulkowski as board chair, contributed to Hinebauch. Another contributor was Rina Fontana Moore, a Democrat and former clerk and recorder who lost a close election to Merchant in 2022. Great Falls Public Schools Superintendent Tom Moore also donated to Hinebauch’s primary bid. In 2023, Moore signed onto a letter from the district citing significant problems with Merchant’s handling of a previous school election.
Hinebauch will face Democrat Don Ryan, who was unopposed in Tuesday’s primary, in the November general election.
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