State Sen. Jason Ellsworth, a Republican from Hamilton and former Senate president, was charged last year with official misconduct for awarding two no-bid state contracts to a longtime friend.

The Montana Republican Party worked this primary season to oust several of its own members from the state Legislature. The party took issue with moderate candidates it saw as being too willing to work across the aisle with Democrats. With the dust from this month’s primary election settled, Lee Newspapers State Bureau reporter Seaborn Larson joined MTPR’s Austin Amestoy to share results of the intraparty battle

The 2026 primary results yielded a couple of surprise congressional candidates for Democrats. Republican congressional candidates won as expected. Legislative races pitting conservative versus moderate Republicans ended with mixed results. And Republican primary voters turned out in much bigger numbers than Democratic primary voters.

The stage is now set for Montana’s November 3 general election. One of Tuesday’s most closely watched races will ultimately determine who will replace two term Republican Sen. Steve Daines.

It’s primary election day in Montana and voters are casting their ballots. MTPR reporters spoke with voters at several polling locations about the issues that matter most to them. Voters everywhere named the economy as a top issue.

It’s true all elections have consequences. But sometimes, a single vote can make a bigger splash than usual. That may be the case during Montana’s June 2 primary election. Montana Free Press reporter Zeke Lloyd sat down with MTPR’s Austin Amestoy to explain.

Democratic U.S. House candidate Sam Forstag hopes a Montana visit from AOC will help propel him to victory. Democratic Senate candidates are being walloped in the fundraising wars. And most of Jonathan Windy Boy's Senate colleagues want him gone.

A bipartisan supermajority of Montana state senators penned a letter urging Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy of Box Elder to resign immediately from the Legislature. The letter follows allegations against Windy Boy of sexual abuse, harassment and solicitation of minors.

Montana’s top law enforcement officer joined Vice President J.D. Vance for an anti-fraud roundtable this week. President Donald Trump earlier this year declared what he called a “full-scale war” on fraud in public benefit programs like Medicaid and nutrition assistance.

Montana’s primary elections are just a few days away, and candidates are vying to stand out in a packed race. In the final days, Democratic U.S. House hopeful Sam Forstag held a rally with Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, in the hopes of securing his party’s nomination.