20 February 2020 — 1859 mst

New Flathead legislative filings, Rodney “shoot socialists” Garcia
gets primaried, body armor merchant files for governor

Four-man GOP primary in Senate District 2. On 18 February, Paul J. Longfield, who lists a Columbia Falls Post Offices box as his address, filed for the Republican nomination for Senate District 2, an open seat. He joins political tyro Norman Nunnally, Rep. Carl Glimm, and former legislator Jerry O’Neil, in what could be an interesting primary.

Don’t be surprised if one or two of these candidates withdraws from this election to challenge young Braxton Mitchell for the GOP nod in House District 3. No Libertarin has filed for SD-2 or HD-3 yet.

The winner of SD-2’s GOP primary will face Kalispell city councilman Kyle Waterman, a prolific fundraiser, who filed on 14 February for the Democratic nomination. Waterman can win if President Trump becomes so anathematic that the entire Republican Party becomes too toxic for all voters except the hardest of the diehards who will follow Trump off the edge of the Earth.

A libertarian for House District 13. This district (map) extends a couple of thousand voters into western Flathead County. No Democrat has yet filed for the seat, currently occupied by Republican Rep. Bob Brown, who filed for SD-7, open with the departure of termed-out GOP Sen. Jennifer Fielder. Her husband, Paul Fielder, filed for the GOP nod in HD-13. No Democrat has filed for the seat, but on 10 February, Libertarian Cade Stiles threw his hat in the ring.

Rodney “I was only joking about shooting socialists” Garcia gets primaried. Garcia, a Republican unafraid to say what’s on his mind, is vacating HD-52 (Billings) to seek the GOP nomination in SD-26, where incumbent Democrat Sen. Margie MacDonald is running for re-election. MacDonald is well respected. Garcia is well into the Twilight Zone. One Republican activist I know referred to him, only half-jokingly, as a “potential active shooter.” On 13 February, Billings Republican Chris Friedel filed against Garcia. Will Friedel need the product sold by a newly announced candidate for the U.S. Senate? Let’s hope not.

Body armor merchant Lyman Bishop files for Libertarian nomination for governor. Bishop, of Kalispell, is the CEO of of Hoplite Armor LLC, a company:

Bishop’s product could come in handy if he debates Greg Gianforte this fall.

Presidential candidate begin filing for Montana’s primary. As of 1849 MST today, three Republicans and three Democrats had filed:

• Republicans:
• Donald Trump
• Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente
• Bob Ely

• Democrats:
• Pete Buttigieg
• Bernie Sanders
• Elizabeth Warren