A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis, serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. © James Conner.

21 December 2016

Amanda Curtis says she'll seek Dem nomination for U.S. House

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Rep-Elect. Amanda Curtis (D-Butte) announced today she’ll seek the Democratic Party’s nomination for the expected special election to replace Rep. Ryan Zinke, who is expected to be confirmed as Secretary of the Interior sometime in early 2017. She’s the first Democrat to declare a candidacy.

Curtis was just elected to her second (but non-consecutive) term in the Montana House of Representatives. She was the Democrats’ choice to replace John Walsh as the party’s 2014 candidate for the U.S. Senate after plagiarism charges (proven true) forced him to withdraw as a candidate. Curtis drew 40 percent of the vote, losing to Steve Daines.

Many younger Democrats hold Curtis in high regard, both for her feisty style and for her willingness to become the party’s doomed to defeat replacement for Walsh. Her constituents in Butte may be less than thrilled by her willingness to abandon her district so soon after being elected to represent it, but most Democrats will be grateful just to have a candidate.

Curtis undoubtedly has started seeking the support of probable delegates to a nominating convention. My advice to the probables: don’t make any commitments before the new year begins. Other candidates may step forward.

Two more Republicans announced their interest in the Republican nomination to replace Zinke: State Judge Russell Fagg of Billings, a former state representative, and Bozeman real estate developer Eugene Graf IV. They join State Senators Ed Buttrey and Scott Sales, and Rep. Daniel Zolnikov.