13 November 2016

Gail Gutsche’s last hurrah

Former state legislator Gail Gutsche won the District 4 seat on the Montana Public Service Commission by 3,617 votes in 2008, winning Missoula County by 11,394 votes but losing every other county in the district.

Four years later, she lost to Republican legislator Bob Lake by 2,678 votes, again winning only Missoula County.

Five days ago, Gutsche again lost to Lake, this time by 10,632 votes. Once again, she won Missoula County, but her margin declined to 8,733 votes — and her share of the registered voters in Missoula County declined to 38.6 percent.

By contrast, Steve Bullock won Missoula County by 3,079 more votes than in 2012.

Gutsche campaigned hard, and had the active support of the Democratic Party, but she was a weaker candidate than in 2008 and 2012. This was her last hurrah for the PSC. Democrats need a new candidate for PSC 4 in 2020, and if possible, they should settle on one by 2018. That candidate must roll up a huge margin in Missoula, and shrink the margins in the other counties to have a chance.