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The nature of public affairs is such that there are plenty of things thoughtful Montanans disagree on — how President Donald Trump is approaching immigration enforcement, for example, or whether the federal government owns too much of the state or whether Montana should have a sales tax.
In case you’ve missed it, we spent much of this week publishing stories about where voter opinion seems to be on those and other meaty issues, writing up results from a poll we conducted through the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University as part of our ongoing Montana Insights project. If you’re the sort of person who likes to chew on data, there’s plenty of gristle there.
With this round of polling, we also included a question that’s somewhat lighter fare, asking respondents to identify exactly where they’d place the dividing line between eastern and western Montana.
As it turns out, Montanans disagree on that one, too:
One camp of respondents, about a third, named what is in this reporter’s humble opinion the most boring answer imaginable: “east of Billings.” Another double-digit contingent provided a definition that’s geographically pure but practically wrong: east of the Continental Divide. (Dillon counts as eastern Montana? Really, folks?) Others scattered the dividing line across points between.
As we published the resulting story Monday — leaving my color commentary out of it — we asked readers to weigh in with their own suggestions. We got a few worth noting here:
One reader, Brad Robinson, suggested a diagonal line running from “a little east of Red Lodge” to “a little east of Browning.” That would more or less divide the state’s mountainous forest sections from the north-central and eastern plains.
Another, Tom Cherry, suggested labeling eastern Montana as “wherever they start using the term ‘coulees.’” (For context, there are several coulees scattered in and around Great Falls — but the furthest west one I can find today is “Coyote Coulee” outside Darby, not far from Montana’s western “nose.”)
A third, Winnett resident Laura Nowlin, argued that we really should be thinking about the state in western, central and eastern sections. She described the central region as running from the Rocky Mountain Front to roughly the Musselshell River, which flows into Fort Peck Lake northeast of Billings. As Nowlin noted, that would put population-200 Winnett, the Petroleum County seat, firmly in central Montana.
And then there was Ben Larson, a Philipsburg-based carpenter and folk musician who told us he thinks about the divide less in terms of geography than culture. Western Montana music audiences tend to show their enthusiasm for good music right away, he wrote. He’s found eastern Montana audiences, in contrast, are typically more reserved — sometimes making an artist endure “an entire set without applause,” before wandering up after the show to offer a profound observation in quiet words.
“Our state has a lovely spectrum of temperaments and nuance that makes it very difficult to draw a clear line down the middle,” Larson wrote. “It’s like trying to divide a small town in half based on a railroad or river; the people move and blend across the divide.”
Some more commentary from me: Of the opinions I’ve heard on this, that’s far from the worst one.
— Eric Dietrich
Verbatim 💬
“Governor is an executive set skill set, which is probably more to where I’m wired … I’m not retiring because of that [gubernatorial opportunity]. I just know that’s out there.”
— U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, as quoted by the national outlet Semafor, speaking about his decision to retire from the Senate and withdraw from a campaign for a third term.
Daines — whose decision to drop out of the 2026 race minutes before the filing deadline shook colleagues in Washington, D.C., as well as Montana politicos and constituents — told Semafor that his last-minute strategy was designed to stave off an “expensive” race featuring competitive Montana Democrats, noting that Republicans around the country would be facing tough midterm elections.
But his comments to Semafor suggest that Daines isn’t swearing off future political endeavors. With Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte currently serving the last of his two allowable terms, political observers have been speculating about the possible queue of Republicans eyeing the governor’s seat in 2028.
— Mara Silvers
By the Numbers 🔢
The rise in average Montana gas prices following the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran that began Feb. 28. According to data from AAA, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in Montana was $2.79 the day before the attacks started. The average price on March 6, just a week later, is $3.04, up about 9%.
The jump may seem counterintuitive: The U.S. is the world’s largest oil producer, yet it isn’t insulated from what happens in a waterway 7,000 miles away. The Strait of Hormuz, the only shipping route out of the Persian Gulf and 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, carries 20% of the world’s oil supply, and Iran controls one of its shores. While the strait hasn’t been formally closed, marine tracking sites show tankers stacking up on either side, wary of an attack or unable to secure insurance for the voyage. Because oil is a global commodity, that uncertainty ripples straight to the gas pumps here in Montana. Tom Kloza, a veteran oil analyst, told Axios he expects the national average to reach $3.50 in the coming weeks.
— Jacob Olness
For the Record 📣
None of the state’s Army National Guard or Air National Guard units are currently deployed to the Middle East, according to public affairs officer Lt. Col. Thomas Figarelle with the Montana Army National Guard. The only unit currently overseas is the 1052nd Fire Detachment, out of Helena, which deployed to Europe in January.
Figarelle said it’s difficult to track the number of active U.S. military members from Montana, although, according to 2023 data from the Veterans Administration, we rank third per capita, behind only Alaska and Virginia, for the number of veterans who call the state home. According to those stats, roughly 1 in 13 Montanans has served in the military.
— Zeke Lloyd
Public Comment 🗣️
The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation is launching a survey to better understand public priorities regarding recreation on state trust lands. Among other things, the DNRC wants to know whether and how people use state trust land, how familiar they are with the rules governing its use and whether they’d like to see changes in how it’s managed.
Unlike other public lands, state trust land is mainly managed to generate revenue — primarily for the state’s public school system. Tens of millions of dollars per year are generated for the state’s K-12 school system by trust lands. While there are recreational parcels interspersed throughout, state trust lands are also managed for livestock grazing, mineral development and timber production. Some state trust lands are also sold for residential development.
“All management decisions balance revenue production with the environmental stewardship and the long-term productivity of the land,” according to the DNRC’s landing page for the survey. Altogether, there are more than 5 million acres of state trust land in Montana, scattered all over the state.
In the last couple of years, the state has required recreationists 12 and older who use state lands — fishing access sites, state parks, state trust lands, etc. — to purchase a conservation license. The cost of the license ranges from $4 to $10, depending on residency and age.
The survey, which takes about five minutes to complete, is available here. It will be open through March 31.
— Amanda Eggert
Highlights ☀️
Boy, howdy, was there a lot of news in Montana politics this week —
• U.S. Sen. Steve Daines announced that he wouldn’t seek another term, citing his desire to spend more time with his family.
• U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke announced that he wouldn’t seek another term, citing health issues.
• A whole bunch of other people are running.
• And our Tom Lutey did his best to explain what in the world is going on.
On Our Radar
Matt — I’ve never been to Pittsburgh, but photographer Andrew Rush‘s aerial shots of the city’s wintery neighborhoods entranced me. It was the Instagram suggestion that never went away, and now I’m a follower. The algorithm at work.
Katie — We may have just barely started March, but I’m already looking forward to May when I have tickets to see Florence + the Machine in concert. The band’s latest album, “Everybody Scream,” may feel dark for spring, as frontwoman Florence Welch wrote it after a near-death experience, but the lyrics feature themes of nature and healing that feel right for this time of year.
Zeke — It’s the time of year for Girl Scout Cookies! This year, I decided to try Frosted Thin Mints Pop-Tarts. I was not disappointed.
Mara — When I was growing up in Helena in the 90s and early 2000s, the Real Food Market & Deli used to be located in the Placer Avenue building now occupied by Finstad’s Flooring. Ever since I moved back home (from a bodega-rich neighborhood in Brooklyn), I’ve been trying to will a downtown grocery store into existence. Rumors have recently reached me that my dream may soon come true. If you have any intel about a future corner store, please send your gossip to my inbox.
Tom — I’m perfecting a nice pork shoulder braise with Castelvetrano olives, baby carrots, orange bells, a little red wine, garlic, anchovy paste and, of course, tomatoes. It needs some heat; I’m thinking dried Calabrian chilies. Whatever. No braise tastes terrible on polenta with butter and Parmesan. I’m two versions in. It’s very Nancy Verde Barr, though not her recipe.
Eric — For my money, the best parts of the internet are fleeting glimpses into niche communities where people are finding wholesome joy in esoteric hobbies. Case in point: this newly published video, where a young father regales viewers with his journey into the competitive leaderboards of an obscure 2017 puzzle game I’ve never played.
Lowdown is edited by Nick Ehli, with additional copy editing this week by Mara Silvers.