Montana Politics

Midterm elections typically don't attract much attention, but 2026 may be different. With three of Montana's four seats in Congress on the ballot, nearly a dozen challengers have thrown their hat in the ring. Republican incumbents are favored in all three races, with the western district race seen as the most competitive.

A ballot proposal to limit campaign spending in Montana is blocked from advancing. The state’s high court Tuesday ruled it doesn’t pass legal muster.

Gov. Greg Gianforte declined to suspend a state public service commissioner from office, but encouraged an internal investigation to continue. Molnar has been accused of harassment and is under investigation by an internal response team.

The state’s high court agreed that Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen violated the rules of professional misconduct, but not to the extent an oversight board concluded.

A ballot proposal aimed at simplifying the ballot initiative process is now tied up in court. Attorney General Austin Knudsen blocked the proposal for being legally insufficient, saying it contains too many concepts.

A second ballot initiative that would ensure Montana’s judicial elections are nonpartisan is advancing. The initiative was tied up in court when its backers and Attorney General Austin Knudsen disagreed over its wording.

State higher education officials have changed the eligibility requirements for Montana’s American Indian Tuition Waiver. Starting next fall, blood quantum will no longer count toward eligibility.

A group of young Montanans are asking the state Supreme Court to overturn new laws that weaken the state’s ability to regulate planet warming emissions, and exclude some fossil fuel projects from environmental review. This filing comes a year after they won a landmark ruling over Montana's constitutional right to a "clean and healthful environment."

The Trump administration in November prioritized approval of a rare earth mineral mine at the headwaters of the Bitterroot River. But the project faces strong opposition from the public, local government and members of Montana's congressional delegation.

A district court judge has ordered the state to allow for nonbinary designations on state driver’s licenses. The order follows back-and-forth disagreements between state officials.