Gauging Montana’s 2020 political field under the specter of a global pandemic
Release Date: 03/17/2020
Shared State
Montana Lowdown
From what it means to be a “real Montanan,” to voter access, to public land, to rugged individualism, Shared State will bridge history, politics, and the daily reality of Montanans as we approach a landmark election.
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Uphill Part 2: “This is like dust in the air. We all breathe it.”
Montana Lowdown
In part 2 of Uphill, reporter Mara Silvers examines how community groups in various towns across Montana are pushing local governments to invest in social programs rather than policing, how organizers are calling on businesses to implement anti-racist policies and practices, and how some are even collecting bail funds for people in county jails and detention centers.
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Uphill Part 1: “Does anyone know who’s watching us right now?”
Montana Lowdown
In the wake of George Floyd’s killing by police in Minneapolis, Black Lives Matter protests have surged across the country.
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2020 primary results, and a preview of the path to November
Montana Lowdown
Our panel of elections reporters looks at the results of the 2020 primary election, and offer a preview of the nominees’ path to November.
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Republican factions battle for control of the state legislature
Montana Lowdown
Montana Free Press reporters Mara Silvers and Eric Dietrich and freelance reporter Alex Sakariassen join Editor-in-Chief John S. Adams to discuss Montana's June 2 primary election and what the results could mean for the 2021 Montana Legislature.
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Republican candidate for governor Greg Gianforte
Montana Lowdown
Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte discusses his vision for rebooting the Montana economy, his record in the U.S. Congress, and addresses notable criticisms.
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Democratic Senate candidate John Mues
Montana Lowdown
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate John Mues makes a progressive pitch to voters on energy and the economy, and criticizes his primary opponent — and presumptive Democratic nominee — Gov. Steve Bullock for a lack of details on his own political positions.
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Republican U.S. House candidate Matt Rosendale
Montana Lowdown
Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance Matt Rosendale talks about his response to the coronavirus pandemic, his opposition to the ACA, his support for President Donald Trump, and why he believes he’s the best Republican candidate for Montana’s sole seat in the U.S. House. Rosendale also responds to past criticisms he’s received from both Republicans and Democrats.
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Unpacking the polling on pandemic recovery and Montana’s senate race
Montana Lowdown
We unpack the results of recent polling on the pandemic, the recovery, and their implications for Montana’s senate race, with Dr. David Parker of Montana State University and Mike Dennison, Chief Political Reporter for the Montana Television Network.
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Democratic candidate for governor Mike Cooney
Montana Lowdown
Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney points to prior victory over Greg Gianforte and the need for experienced leadership during pandemic recovery in presenting his case for the Democratic nomination for governor of Montana.
info_outline“I think it’s a universe that I don’t really know how to gauge. It’s just something that we’ve never dealt with.” So says Lee Newspapers capital reporter Holly Michels, as she tries to make sense of the evolving 2020 political field through the lens of the coronavirus issue.
Montana’s March 9 candidacy filing deadline momentarily grabbed national headlines when two-term Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock entered the race for the U.S. Senate, challenging Republican incumbent Sen. Steve Daines. But while the matchup was widely regarded as an opportunity for Democrats to flip a Senate seat, those headlines were quickly buried under breaking news.
The next day the presidential primary election entered a new phase, with former Vice President Joe Biden winning in several key state primaries, pulling ahead of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the race for the Democratic nomination. The dust was still settling on that story when the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic, triggering a wave of cancelled events, school closings, and regulations about public gatherings in a growing list of cities nationally and statewide.
Public appearances by President Donald Trump were widely panned as failing to instill public confidence in the face of a national crisis. Stocks plunged, spurring the Federal Reserve to drop interest rates to 0% on Sunday in an effort to stave off a major financial crisis.
The June primary approaches, now with myriad questions about how Montana’s elections might be impacted by the pandemic.
In an interview with Montana Free Press editor-in-chief John S. Adams, elections analyst Kyle Kondik, of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, says he expects to see a wave of out-of-state campaign spending on Montana’s senate seat.
Kondik tells Adams, “Republicans have to look at [the seat] as an absolute must-hold.” He adds that, given Trump’s widely criticized response to the pandemic, defending his seat could prove more challenging for Daines, a staunch Trump supporter.
“I’m more hesitant to suggest that coronavirus may not matter in the fall, because it’s something that’s already affecting so many people, just in terms of disruptions to their daily lives,” Kondik says.
Michels’s and Kondik’s conversations with Adams are featured in the latest episode of the Montana Lowdown podcast, a publication of Montana Free Press.