Serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis. © James Conner.
Rewritten & expanded. Former U.S. Senator Conrad Burns and current Public Service Commission chair Bill Gallagher head a list of political heavyweights endorsing Derek Skees for the Republican nomination for the District 5 seat on the PSC. Gallagher, the District 5 incumbent, is not seeking re-election because of illness.
Skees represented House District 4 in the 2011 legislature, but chose to challenge Monica Lindeen for Montana State Auditor in 2012 instead of running for re-election to the legislature. Lindeen beat Skees 53.5 to 46.5 percent, but Skees beat Lindeen by 88 votes in the PSC District 5 counties.
Skees’ website is still under construction.
Brad Johnson, former Montana Secretary of State, is expected to challenge Skees for the GOP PSC District 5 nomination. Johnson filed his C-1 candidate form for PSC D-5 with Montana’s Commissioner of Political Practices on 29 January, but has not yet filed for the office with Montana’s Secretary of State.
Johnson may have a website, but I haven’t been able to find it.
On the Democratic side, termed-out Helena state Rep. Galen Hollenbaugh filed his C-1 and D-1 candidate and disclosure forms with MCOPP on 31 January, but has not yet formally filed with Montana’s Secretary of State.
Hollenbaugh’s website is still under construction.
Skees may be releasing his endorsements now in an effort to steal a march on Johnson. Johnson, who has run for many offices, has high name recognition among Republicans, as well as a reputation for losing most elections. Skees also has high name recognition, especially in Flathead County, the largest county in PSC D-5. Most of the district’s voters are in the conservative counties west of the continental divide.
| County | Registered Voters | Percent Registered Voters in District |
|---|---|---|
| Flathead | 60,372 | 44.7 |
| Glacier | 7,080 | 5.2 |
| Lake | 18,284 | 13.5 |
| Lewis & Clark | 41,893 | 31.0 |
| Pondera | 3,423 | 2.5 |
| Teton | 3,962 | 2.9 |
| Total | 135,014 |
Data downloaded on 27 April 2014.
Here’s the full list of Skees’ endorsers:
Former US Senator Conrad Burns
Current PSC Chair Bill Gallagher
MT Senate President Jeff Essmann
MT Senate Majority Leader Art Wittich
Speaker of the MT House Mark Blasdel
Speaker Pro Tempore MT House Austin Knudsen
MT House Majority Leader Gordon Vance
Senator Dee Brown (SD-2)
Senator Verdell Jackson (SD-5)
Business & Labor Chair Senator Jon Sonju (SD-4)
FRET Committee Chair Representative Keith Regier (HD-5)
Representative Jerry O’Neil (HD-3)
Transportation Chair Representative Steve Lavin (HD-8)
Representative Greg Hertz (HD-11)
Representative Carl Glimm (HD-6)
Former MT Senator and Republican Party Chair Ken Miller
Ray & Ladeine Thompson
Gerry & Pat Molen
Maj. General Paul & Muffin Vallely