Alternative Titles: “2026: Blue Wave” or “Democrats Make Gains and Republicans Freak Out”

Great Falls, MT

The filing period for candidates has closed in Montana. So how are things looking? The energy reminds me of 2018, because of all the Democrats filing. Every legislative district in Cascade County has a Democrat on the slate. That is the best candidate recruitment we’ve seen since 2018. Really good news for Democrats. The left leaning folks are fired up and ready to go! 

Behold this map! We can make it all blue, not just HD 19 that we hold right now!!

Well sorry folks we can’t celebrate too long. It’s back to the grind again, because the Republicans are imploding and trying to take us with them.

What Republican Tantrum Do We Have to Deal With Now?

Zinke and Daines are Out

First the good news, Congressman Ryan Zinke (MT-01) and U.S. Senator Steve Daines dropped out of their races!!  While they may bring us fresh hell in the future as zombie candidates for governor or something….at least Republicans have lost the incumbency advantage in those races. 

Let them Fight – Libertarians primarying Republicans

Then, three local Libertarians have decided to run as Republicans, calling themselves “Libertarian-Republicans.” They’re primarying known Republicans in state legislative races to do it (SD-10, HD-20, and HD-22). 

State Representative George Nikolakakos is BIG MAD about it. He ranted on his public Facebook that Kevin Leatherbarrow, a candidate for HD-22, “is a perennial Libertarian candidate”…”running as a “Constitutional Republican” (whatever that means in his mind).” When Tony Rosales (the chair of the local Libertarian Party) filed to run in HD-20 against George’s wife Melissa, fellow State Representative George Nikolakakos declared, “It’s raining crazy in Great Falls with the filing deadline over!” 

Looks like the Cascade County Libertarians and Republicans won’t be singing kumbaya together any time soon. Dang.

MAGA Republicans Filing as Democrats

If you squint, you can see how Libertarians and Republicans can overlap. But MAGA and Democrats? No. 

But somehow the dumbass loony toons of James Whitaker and Mark Winters decided to file in Montana Senate Districts 11 and 12, respectively as Democrats. As if the voters wouldn’t notice James Whitaker running concurrently for a Republican precinct person position (an elected position as a voting member in the local Cascade County GOP), and the fact that Mark Winters is/was a Republican precinct person until he stepped down a couple of days after filing. 

The Chair of the Local Republican Party had this to say about both candidates:

Eric Hinebauch, chair of the Cascade County Republican Central Committee and a member of the Cascade County Commission….believes the pair filed in Democratic primaries to deter Democratic voters from crossing over to vote in Republican primaries. He told Montana Free Press that he doesn’t believe either candidate is really a Democrat.

(quote from the Montana Free Press article: https://montanafreepress.org/2026/03/12/two-candidates-in-cascade-county-claim-to-be-democrats-local-party-leadership-says-thats-a-hoax/)

You Decide – MAGA or Democrat?

I will summarize some items I found in a 5 minute Google search and let you the reader be the judge! Do these people seem like Democrats? Would you say that their candidacies for the nominations were made in good faith? Or….do you think they are lying to the voters? 

Google Search Results on Whitaker and Winters:

James Whitaker

Mark Winters

Running to be a Republican precinct person in the 2026 election Ran for HD-22 as a Republican in 2024 Local GOP Party chair says he is not a Democrat

Was a Republican precinct person until resigning two days after filing as Democrat Spoke on behalf of the “Liberty and Values MT” group that was hosting billboards and stickers against the Great Falls Public Library Levy in 2023 (FB links to a couple of his quotes: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17mNM8LiiE/ and https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Fy27pFafq/)  Local GOP Party chair says he is not a Democrat

Based on that summary, I assume you agree with me that they are NOT Democrats. In my opinion, filing to run as a candidate for a political party where you do not overlap at all on party platform positions is completely disrespectful to voters. It is an honor and a privilege to be a candidate for political office. Meanwhile, Whitaker and Winters just spit in the voters’ faces instead. 

Why are these MAGAs filing as Democrats?

In the Montana Free Press article, Rae Grulkowski’s loss to Eric Hinebauch in the 2024 Republican primary for Cascade County commissioner was brought up. 

And foreshadowing, that loss is highly relevant to the rest of this post.

Grulkowski blamed her loss on Democrats voting in the Republican primary. You can read that twice. Grulkowski is pissed, and I suspect her little cabal of MAGA weirdos is behind the push for Republicans to file as Democrats in Cascade County. She is still mad she lost, and she blames Democrats rather than having some self-reflection. PEOPLE DIDN’T VOTE FOR YOU RAE, BECAUSE YOU WERE BAD AT YOUR JOB. 

My conclusion is that Whitaker and Winters filed to force Democratic primaries and ensure that Democrats don’t crossover vote in the Republican primary. Yep. It’s worth lying to the voters to get their way! Sounds about MAGA. 

AnYwAy, James Whitaker and Mark Winters are Rae Grulkowski’s people, and Steven Vinnedge and Kathryn Hansen are also her people. Since both Steven Vinnedge and Kathryn Hansen signed that stupid petition that was going around in 2021-2022 asking the county to eliminate mail ballots and count all ballots by hand instead of using the counting machines.

Why do I bring up Steven Vinnedge and Kathryn Hansen? More MAGA idiocy

Both Steven Vinnedge and Kathryn Hansen filed to be Democratic precinct people in Cascade County. Not satisfied with destroying their own party, the MAGA wing is trying to become voting members of the local Democratic Party. And yes, like Winters and Whitakers, it’s not hard to find the crazy on Vinnedge and Hansen. They are not Democrats.

Here are some lowlights from Steven Vinnedge’s public Facebook posts:

Yeah…Steven Vinnedge is not a Democrat. 

What about Kathryn Hansen?

Like the others, it is well known that Hansen is a Republican. She spoke openly against the Great Falls Library Board recommendations at an October 2023 Great Falls City Commission meeting and asked them to appoint anti-library levy applicant Noelle Johnson. ::Shocker::, at the same meeting, Steven Vinnedge was there also dissing the library board. Almost like they align politically! As I pointed out above, both Kathryn Hansen and Steven Vinnedge signed that bananapants all return to paper ballots, all hand counting petition.

There you have it folks 

MAGA is going through an extinction burst, and hopefully we can work around them until they finish destroying themselves. Meanwhile, the local Democratic Party is seriously kicking some ass with candidate recruitment and strengthening of their party.