The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

Statewide there was a 41.3% turnout of Montana’s 679,231 registered voters for the recent primary election. In Blaine County, the turnout was 36.1%, a bit lower than the state turnout. The 2018 primary election results will not be official until the county commissioners ‘canvass’ the ballots. The commissioners will review and confirm the primary results in the next few days.

Here are the primary results as reported by the Blaine County Clerk and Recorder’s office and as posted on the Montana Secretary of State’s official website (see more results at: mtelectionresults.gov)

National offices

The U.S. Senate seat currently held by Jon Tester will be contested during the general election in the fall. Tester, a Democrat, ran unopposed in his party’s recent primary. Four Republicans vied statewide to face Tester in the fall. In Blaine County, voters backed Republican Albert Olszewski with 42% of the party’s vote. Republican Matt Rosendale garnered 33.8% of the vote in the statewide G.O.P. primary, will face Tester in the fall. Rosendale currently serves as Montana’s State Auditor.

In the U.S. House of Representatives first term Montana Republican congressman Greg Gianforte’s seat will also be contested. In the Republican primary, Gianforte was unopposed. Gianforte will face Montana State House member Kathleen Williams who defeated five other Democrats seeking to face the incumbent congressman. Statewide Williams won 33.5% of the vote. In Blaine County both she and candidate John Heenan received 32% of the vote, with Heenan winning three more votes than Williams.

Outcomes for statewide offices

District 1 Public Service Commissioner (PSC) Travis Kavulla was term limited and could not run again for the post he’d held for eight years. The PSC’s District 1 covers roughly the northeast quarter of Montana. Doug Kaercher ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and will face Republican Randy Pinocci who received 35% of the vote to win his party’s post. In Blaine County Mark Wicks won 36% of the vote on the Republican ticket for the District 1 PSC seat.

Only half of Montana’s 50 state senators must stand for election in any given election cycle. This year neither post in Montana Senate District 16 or District 17 was up for election. In Montana House District 32 incumbent Democrat Jonathon Windy Boy will face Republican challenger Bruce Meyers. Meyers was a former member of the state house but ran for state senate in 2016. Casey Knudsen, the incumbent Republican House member for District 33 was unopposed in the primary.

Judges on the Supreme Court are initially appointed, then must stand to be ‘retained’ periodically. This election cycle Supreme Court Chief Justice Beth Baker and Associate Justice Ingrid Gustafson are both unopposed and will appear as nonpartisan candidates on the general election ballot.

Interestingly, the Clerk of the Supreme Court is a statewide elected office. Current clerk Ed Smith was first elected in 1988 and is retiring after 30 years in the office. Rex Renk, a Helena Democrat and member of Smith’s staff, will face Republican challenger Bowen Greenwood, who among other roles served as head of the Montana Republican Party. Both were unopposed in the primary and will appear on their respective party’s ballot in the fall.

In a state nonpartisan contest for District 17, Department 1 Court Judge, incumbent Yvonne Laird won 51% of the vote with 2,570 votes in the judicial district that includes Blaine, Phillips and Valley Counties. Her opponent, Peter Helland, received 49% of the vote.

Voters may have noticed that Laird and Helland were on both the Republican and Democrat ballots. Blaine County Election Administrator Tammy Williams and local Justice of the Peace Perry Miller explained that because there were only two nonpartisan candidates both will automatically be on the general ballot in November. Miller said, “If there had been three or more candidates, the primary outcome would determine the two candidates for the general election.” Having the names on the ballot did not affect the cost of the balloting and, as Miller explained, “The candidates have those results to see where they are strong or need to do additional work before the general election.” Williams added, “It’s been custom to have all nonpartisan candidates listed in the primary, even if the outcome was already clear.

A nonpartisan county post was also decided in this primary. Incumbent Blaine County Justice of the Peace Perry Miller was unopposed in the primary. He will be the only candidate for the post in the general election.

Candidates for county offices move on to the general election

Only two elective offices in Blaine County will have candidates representing both major parties in the 2018 general election. Kenneth (Kim) Hansen, a Democrat, will oppose Republican Miles Hutton for District #3 County Commissioner. Incumbent Charlie Kulbeck opted not to run again for the post. Hansen is currently mayor of Harlem, was on the city council and served as a state senator. Hutton, from the north part of the district, is making his first run for a political office.

The other county post that will be contested in the general election is that of Sheriff/Coroner. Incumbent Glen Huestis did not file to run for another term. Current Undersheriff Frank Billmayer, a Republican, and Lt. John Colby, a Democrat and also with the Sheriff’s Department, will face each other in the general election.

The following county elective offices, all currently held by incumbents, will not be contested in the general election since only one candidate filed for each office in the primary. The candidates, offices sought and party are: Tammy Williams, Clerk and Recorder/Assessor, Democrat; Kelsie Whitney Harwood, County Attorney, Democrat; Valerie M. White, County Superintendent of Schools, Democrat and Tori MacLean, Treasurer, Democrat.

The general election is set for Tuesday, November 6, 2018. The statewide turnout for the recent primary was about normal for our state. Montana typically has one of the highest voter turnouts among the states, with the 2016 turnout at nearly 75%. The 2016 election was a presidential election, which typically has a higher than average turnout in virtually every state.

The turnout in 2014, an equivalent type of general election to the one upcoming this fall, was 55% statewide and about 49% for Blaine County. We may be looking at a year when the election outcome is decided by the more than fifty percent of registered voters who don’t vote.