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GOP fundraising still strong in Montana congressional races – Daily Montanan

['Arren Kimbel-Sannit', 'More From Author', '- April']

Date: 2022-04-26 00:00:00

Well-known Republicans running for both of Montana’s congressional districts continue to out-raise the pack, amassing – and spending — millions as the June primaries wind nearer, according to quarterly filings due to the Federal Election Commission this month.

Ryan Zinke, a former congressman and Donald Trump-era U.S. Secretary of the Interior, has led the candidates running for Montana’s First Congressional District in fundraising since early in the race. Zinke, who has already received the former president’s endorsement, raised $1,047,120 in 2022’s first quarter. However, he’s also proven to be a prodigious spender, disbursing $573,503 over the same period, leaving his campaign with a war chest of around $1.2 million.

Former nonprofit executive Cora Neumann was the most successful fundraiser during the period in the Democratic primary, bringing in $401,000 in the first quarter and spending around $159,000. Her cash-on-hand now sits at $878,000.

The First District, which covers much of the state’s western third, was created as part of Montana’s 2020 redistricting process — for decades, the state had been relegated to only a single district. The western district leans Republican, but is still possibly competitive enough to have generated a flurry of interest from candidates on both sides.

Zinke is facing off with former lawmaker Al Olszewski — who, despite not receiving the Trump endorsement, has touted himself as the only Trump-conservative running in the district — and Kalispell pastor Mary Todd in his primary. Olszewski, known as “Dr. Al,” spent more than he raised over the quarter — $109,000 to $89,000. He has $365,000 on hand, though that’s a number inflated by $175,000 that Olszewski has loaned to the campaign himself. Todd raised $38,000 and spent $30,000 over the period, leaving $107,011 remaining.

The Democratic primary for the western district has been whittled down to a race of three: Neumann, Monica Tranel, an attorney who once worked and ran for the Public Service Commission, and Tom Winter, a former state lawmaker who served one term before mounting an unsuccessful campaign for Congress in 2020. Tranel and Neumann have each received endorsements from significant figures in the Democratic establishment, and earlier this month each put out their first TV spots emphasizing their Montana bona fides. Winter has presented himself as a progressive outsider.

Tranel raised $252,877 in the first quarter and spent around $146,000, leaving her with $266,160 on hand. Winter raised $42,368 in the same period and spent $53,924, leaving his war chest with only $16,035.

Montana’s Second Congressional District covers the state’s eastern two-thirds. Incumbent Congressman Matt Rosendale is hoping voters in the heavily Republican district allow him to keep a seat in the U.S. House, and has managed to run in the primary without serious opposition. He raised $223,043 in the first quarter and spent $174,000, leaving $1,036,146 cash on hand. State lawmaker Mark Sweeney, meanwhile, despite living within the confines of the western district, is running in a Democratic primary for the second seat alongside Billings city councilwoman Penny Ronning and Billings resident Skylar Williams.

Sweeney, a late entrant to the race, reported $82,448 in contributions in the first quarter, the entirety of his fundraising to date. He spent around $21,500, leaving him with $55,114. Ronning raised $24,168 in the first period and spent $25,000, leaving her with $11,800, while Williams raised only $670, spending $2,600 with only $159 remaining.

Another possible-though-unlikely threat to Rosendale comes in the form of Gary Buchanan, a Billings businessman and longtime state government official running as an Independent. He’s netted endorsements from several Montana political figures of years past — former Republican Gov. Mark Racicot, former Democratic lawmaker and gubernatorial candidate Dorothy Bradley, among others — and sought to distance himself from both party establishments, though that hasn’t stopped Rosendale allies from attacking him as a Democrat in disguise.

Buchanan, who only announced his candidacy this month, raised $15,573 in the first quarter and spent $911. He’s lent his campaign $25,000, leaving it with $37,734 on hand.

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