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Updated: Independent announces qualification for Montana PSC District No. 4 • Daily Montanan [1]

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Date: 2024-06-04  

Independent candidate Elena Evans announced she secured enough signatures to be on the November ballot for the Montana Public Service Commission in District No. 4.

“With your support, I can serve as a Public Service Commissioner who cuts costs for Montana families instead of cutting deals with Northwestern Energy,” Evans said in an email Tuesday about qualifying.

Evans, an environmental health manager, said in the email to supporters more than double the number of signatures were verified by counties.

The Montana Secretary of State’s Office said Wednesday it will review petitions and complete the certification process for Evans, who filed a declaration of nomination and paid a filing fee. The General Election ballot will be certified August 22.

Republican Jennifer Fielder, also vice chairperson of the commission and a former legislator, is the incumbent in District No. 4.

In District No. 2, Sen. Brad Molnar had widened his lead against Kirk Bushman to four points. In the GOP battle between the two former Public Service Commissioners, Molnar had 52% of the vote and Bushman had 48% on Wednesday morning.

The winner will take on Democrat Susan Bilo of Bozeman in the general election.

In District No. 3, longtime Republican legislator Jeff Welborn of Dillon continued to stay ahead of leading challenger Suzzann Nordwick of Butte by two points.

Welborn, a small business owner, had 40% of the vote, Nordwick, an engineer, had 38%, and Harlowtown’s Rob Elwood, an analyst for a health care company, trailed at 22% in District No. 3.

The winner will face off against Leonard “Lenny” Williams of Butte, the lone Democrat in the primary.

Republicans currently control all five seats on the Public Service Commission, which oversees monopoly utilities in Montana. During roughly the last year, commissioners have approved controversial rate hikes for NorthWestern Energy and Montana-Dakota Utilities. Seats in three of five districts were up for grabs this year.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with Elena Evans’ announcement and Wednesday morning data from the Montana Secretary of State. It also has been updated with the status of Evans’ candidacy with the Montana Secretary of State’s Office and corrected to reflect Fielder may not be unopposed on the November ballot.

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[1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2024/06/04/montana-public-service-commission-races-neck-and-neck/

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