by Helena Lovick | Jan 27, 2026 | Democrats, Elections, Republicans
Former U.S. Senator Jon Tester
Great Falls, MT
[For transparency, I am the previous chair and current vice chair of the Cascade County Democrats. The opinions presented here are my own and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the Cascade County Democrats. – Helena Lovick]
Last week a message supposedly written by former U.S. Senator Jon Tester leaked. (Tester hasn’t confirmed or denied the text message…pretty clear it’s real.) Many of Tester’s long-time supporters, including myself, are pissed about its content and here’s why.
What was the message about?
The leaked message covered Tester’s thoughts on the Democratic Party, his experience running for office, and what he thinks of the probable run by University of Montana President Seth Bodnar for U.S. Senate (Bodnar resigned late last week).
Former UM President Seth Bodnar
The Good
Before I go off about my personal thoughts about Tester’s views, I’ll first give him some credit. I’ll admit that as a three-term U.S. Senator Tester knows a hell of a lot more than me about what it takes to run for the U.S. Senate and win. In Tester’s opinion, to win the candidate “has to run a near flawless race that is well funded and well staffed.” He also acknowledged that we need a Senator to “fight to stop all the insanity that is going on in our dictatorship today, not rubber stamp it.” Agreed, we certainly need a fighter, not someone ready to bow down to a dictatorship.
The Bad
In the message, Tester praised Bodnar but agreed with consultant Jim Messina that Bodnar can’t win as a Democrat. Tester also appears to support a Bodnar run as an independent, because “a generic independent does about a 8 point swing [against incumbent Daines]” in comparison to a generic Democrat. Before we get into the ugly content of Tester’s message, this already was raising some red flags for the Democratic base. If you abandon our party to win, what does that do to candidates that aren’t afraid to run as a Democrat? IT TAKES VOTES AWAY FROM THE DEMOCRAT. And then neither the Independent nor the Democrat win. Sounds pretty great if you are a Republican.
We saw this exact scenario play out in 2022. In that election, Independent Gary Buchanan threw his hat in the ring for the Montana Eastern U.S. House race. That move took votes away from the Democratic candidate Penny Ronning, but not the Republican Matt Rosendale. And for what?? Both Ronning and Buchanan lost and let Matt Rosendale (gag) easily carry the race with 56.5% of the vote. I would not encourage a left-leaning candidate to run as an independent in a Senate race that already has a Democratic candidate. In Montana, in our current political climate, you are dooming them both. And honestly, the consultant class doesn’t care, because they will make money if Bodnar runs as an Independent, no matter the outcome of the election.
The Ugly
Ok, I have some ick thinking of a Democrat encouraging an Independent to run over another Democrat, but what was ugly about Tester’s message?
Throughout his message, Tester made numerous jabs at Democrats:
- “…every race I ran … was about distancing myself from the Democratic Party.”
- “During my last two races the democratic Party was poison in my attempts to get re-elected.”
- “[the Democratic party] was a hell of an anvil.”
- [about Reilly Neill currently running for U.S. Senate against Daines] “We can watch her talk about trans rights, democracy and bathrooms…BTW she will lose by 25, but she is a Democrat.”
Political Parties Can Change
First, a political party isn’t static or an unchangeable institution. THE PARTY IS THE PEOPLE. If you agree with most of a party’s political positions, but don’t like something about it… then work to change it! Tester has been entrenched in the Democratic Party of Montana for over three decades. If it’s been such an anvil, where was the effort to make it better? A U.S. Senator has a huge impact on their home state’s political positions. Use that power to build a bench, to strengthen the party, speak up on party positions! I know, I know, it’s hard. But that’s what it takes if you want to make a difference.
Democrat Reilly Neill deserves respect for her efforts
Democratic U.S. Senate Candidate Reilly Neill
Secondly, what a thing to say about Senate Candidate Reilly Neill. She is a Democratic candidate speaking up in alignment with the Democratic Party’s platform and political positions. Good Democrats DO stand with LGBTQ rights, especially when they are under attack like now. We DO speak up about the rising dictatorship in our country that is threatening our democracy. What else can an ethical candidate do? Appeal to a non-existent middle to try to eke out an 8 point swing to win? An 8 point swing that will never materialize because you will be splitting the vote between an Independent and a Democrat?
Yeah, that’s trash.
Republicans are scared anyway (good)
Even with the potential benefit of vote splitting favoring Daines, Republicans see the winds of change in public opinion now. They have already come out with an attack ad on Seth Bodnar before he even announced. Looks like Daines seat isn’t perfectly invulnerable.
Let’s beat Daines by not splitting our vote. Let’s be strategic and vote for the person unafraid to share their positions on issues, willing to take the heat. That’s a fighter. That’s the kind of person we need to elect. And that is the Democrat who wins the primary in June.
by Helena Lovick | Jan 25, 2026 | Cascade County, Military, oligarchy, Politics, Propaganda, Rallies
Great Falls, MT
The news hit of another murder by ICE/CBP in Minneapolis on January 24th, 2026, just days after the murder of Renee Good. The victim was an ICU nurse without a criminal record, Alex Pretti, 37 years old. A video of the incident shows Pretti recording activities with his cell phone before he is forced to the ground by federal agents and shot.
Immediately, without providing any evidence and certainly not based on video evidence, the White House is pushing lies that Jeffrey Pretti was a “would-be assassin” and “trying to murder federal agents.” Never show restraint and wait for the truth to come out of an investigation if you can make up lies to attack a left-wing person instead, am I right?
This is the textbook right-wing response we keep seeing. When reality doesn’t fit your narrative, photoshop it so it does. And in the case of dTrump, when your documented pedophilia might come back to haunt you, obscure attention from the Epstein files by starting a war on the American people in blue states.
Please let me lick your boots! – MAGA
Like clockwork, the MAGA faction just accepts every lie and talking point fed to them by Daddy dTrump. They can’t possibly be wrong about him; it must be the rest of the world that is wrong!
Trump is pushing for US control of Greenland because he’s pouting about not getting a Nobel peace prize. Nuh uh. That’s fake news! That’s out of context!
A mom driving in her neighborhood of Minneapolis near ICE agents and getting murdered for it. Can’t be true! She was a fucking bitch. She must have ran over the federal agent and that’s why she deserved to die!
A family simply driving past ICE activity in their community and getting tear gassed almost killing their 6-month-old. Why did they take their kids to a protest? FAFO babies!!
Trumplethinskin and his cronies ARE the baddies
Hey MAGAs, instead of twisting yourselves into a pretzel to justify every shitty, illegal, and straight up evil thing done by the dTrump administration. Consider. Maybe. Just maybe. The orange menace and his cronies are the baddies.
Yes, yes you are!
And no, it’s not about immigration enforcement. If they were truly worried about dangerous undocumented immigrants running amuck, why aren’t they focused on Texas and Florida where many more undocumented immigrants reside? Oh right, because that’s bullshit. We know it is retaliation.
Well, we can’t work with them. So how can we resist this?
What can Great Falls Residents Do?
SHOW UP. There are now daily protests on the Central Ave West bridge in Great Falls. At noon on the weekends and at 4 PM on the weekdays, weather permitting. For your own safety at protests, do not engage with counter protesters. You have a first amendment right to film public activities. But maintain space between yourself and dangerous situations.
CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES. In Montana, our current Congressional delegation (Zinke, Downing, Daines and Sheehy) are all Trumpers, but make it uncomfortable for them. Make them have to hear our opinions. Tell them to stop funding ICE.
If you don’t know where to start, KEEP SHOWING UP. Go to rallies, go to meetings, go to community educational events. Ask questions, be loud, be a voice for empathy and humanity.
Find out where you can help and do it. Don’t wait for permission. Don’t wait to be told. If you see a need, fill it.
I read an article by a journalist observing the resistance to ICE that is taking place in Minneapolis. And one of the things she talked about was the widespread push back people are doing there and that there is no “central” leader, but several decentralized leaders are organizing throughout the city. Be that leader or find one to work with.
We all are needed and if everyone that is as concerned as me about the direction of this country steps up, we will win. We can do this. Don’t be discouraged. Keep Going.
by Helena Lovick | Dec 6, 2025 | City, Elections
The 2025 municipal election season is over so how did Great Falls do? First the new law passed by Montana Republicans in 2025 to require the addition of the voter’s birth year on the ballots with their signature led to a huge number of ballots being rejected.
- In the 2023 Great Falls Municipal Election, 204 ballots were rejected.
- In 2025, there were 563 ballots rejected.
While some of the rejected ballots were able to be corrected (“cured”) by the deadline of the 5 PM the day after Election Day, over 309 ballots were not resolved in Cascade County. Meaning 309 voters didn’t have their votes counted. Wow. This is consistent with the higher rejection rates seen around our state with thousands of ballots rejected.
Now we know that the new Birth Year Ballot law is working as intended. Spreading confusion, discouraging voters, and damaging trust in the electoral process. On top of that, it interferes with the work of our elections officials and reduces voter privacy. What a delight! Thanks so much Montana GOP* for your continued efforts to undermine elections! *(The House Bill 719 passed on a party line vote with no Democrats supporting it during the 2025 Montana Legislature).
How about the Election Results Themselves?
Here there are:
MAYOR
- Cory Reeves: 11,650 (71.0%)
- Jasmine Taylor: 4,416 (26.91%)
- Write-In: 57
CITY COMMISSION
- Pete Anderson: 5,249 (16.0%)
- Joe McKenney: 8,756 (26.7%)
- Matt Pipinich: 5,614 (17.1%)
- Casey Schreiner: 8,578 (26.1%)
- Write-In: 111
FIREWORKS
- Yes (limit): 8,781 (53.5%)
- No (do not limit): 7,294 (44.4%)
Well to be honest, the results weren’t what I was hoping for. But it could have been worse!
The Good News
We did not elect Pete Anderson to the City Commission after he proposed a homeless island where homeless people would be used as revenue-generating “tourist attraction” making international headlines. The bar is in the ground and we cleared it! Let’s continue to keep out the crazies. And newly elected commissioner, Casey Schreiner, is a solid addition to the Great Falls City Commission.
The Meh News
Joe McKenney and Cory Reeves were both incumbents so their re-elections look like more of the same. A commission that seems to lack vision for fiscal responsibility with the growing deficit of the local aquatic center, a 27% utility rate hike, refusal to issue proclamations on LGBTQ rights and breast feeding, yanking of funding from our library after voters passed a levy trying to increase library funding and so much more. It’s a slow motion trainwreck as the current commission runs our city into the ground.
Thank you Jasmine, Matt, and Casey
Thankfully Jasmine Taylor challenged Cory Reeves and didn’t let him run unopposed. Her candidacy helped elevate the issues our city faces such as the Calumet tax protest situation, lack of support for the public library, and so forth. Thank you Jasmine Taylor, Matt Pipinich, and Casey Schreiner for offering a different vision for our city. A city of growth and embrace of diversity. We sure deserve better than this wishy-washy city commission untethered to moral ground as they make too many decisions based on their biases and supporters’ opinions. How about doing the right thing, not the easy thing? Maybe explain to citizens why a move is necessary even if it goes against your kneejerk surface values? What a world that would be…where politicians had a backbone and actually walked the walk of their values.
What’s Next?
Should progressives give up all hope and accept that the right-wing takeover of our town is insurmountable? Um, HELL NO. Change is in the wind. We all saw it on Election night. Although things didn’t go left in Great Falls, they RAN left in national news. Virginia, New Jersey, New York City, what an impressive rejection of the national politics led by trumple-thin-skin. It takes effort to move the pendulum left, and that means persistence. Let’s Keep Going.
Vote Box Vectors by Vecteezy
by Helena Lovick | Sep 23, 2025 | Democrats, Politics
The Montana Democratic Party hosted their party convention this month in Livingston and it seemed business as usual. Because of the threats of violence that Montana Democrats faced after the Kirk assassination [despite right wing accusations – no one was celebrating his murder], the convention had increased safety measures in place. Luckily, the convention itself went smoothly without any violence or stripping of the voting rights of delegates like we saw at the Montana Republican Party convention held earlier this year.
The convention was held to amend Montana Democratic Party bylaws and also to elect new party leadership. Despite running two separate candidates, the Cascade County Democrats failed to gain a spot on the Executive Board. Instead, the 20-person board is 30% members from Missoula. Huh. I joke that Cascade County is the ugly stepchild of politics as we keep getting overlooked as the state has slid towards red.
New leadership was elected on Sunday, September 14th. Everyone went home…and that’s when the fun started. On Wednesday, September 17th, the newly elected Vice Chair resigned.
What Happened???
The party was all about unity at the convention. Change was inevitable when former Chair Robyn Driscoll stepped down from her role after six years. But then we go and have possibly the shortest term for an elected political party Executive Board Member ever.
Who was the Vice Chair?
The short-term Vice Chair was Max Johansen, a leader in the Park County Democratic party. I didn’t get a chance to meet with Max one-on-one, but he ran unopposed for Vice Chair and was elected by acclamation.
What happened?
After Johansen won his spot, he went out and spoke to reporters. And here’s what he said:
Per the Bozeman Chronicle:
Johansen criticized Tester for failing to adapt to the changing political environment the past several years, calling him part of the “old guard” that “represents a philosophy that no longer serves the interest of the party,” saying he had not adapted over the years to face a candidate as well-sharpened by the GOP as Tim Sheehy was during last year’s campaign.
Per Montana Public Radio:
“We’re tired of hearing from people who feel like they know everything because they’ve been at the top of the heap for so long,” Johansen said. “That is actually how parties get stale and that’s exactly how parties lose ground.”
That was a surprisingly aggressive position to take against a hugely popular figure in the Montana Democratic Party. When you are given such a large platform, there needs to be some delicacy around public comments. Instead, Max came in with a sledgehammer. And the old guard he dissed had some grave concerns about him continuing in the role. On Tuesday, September 16th, Tester spoke about Johansen on his “Grounded” podcast and said Johansen was seeking to tear down the party rather than build it up.
Three. Days. Later.
Johansen resigned “after acknowledging that certain comments he made following the convention were disruptive and inconsistent with the direction of the executive board,” according to the Democratic Party press release.
Wow. I think we saw that coming.
What’s Next?
Now we wait to see who will fill the board vacancy and smooth over this situation. Honestly, we don’t have time to mess around. Thanks to the trump Party and his ilk, fascism is here in America. The Democratic Party has to get its shit together and rise to this moment.
Let’s 👏get 👏our 👏shit 👏together👏
by Helena Lovick | Sep 5, 2025 | Cascade County, Elections, Politics, Republicans
Great Falls, MT
Cascade County Attorney Josh Racki switched his party affiliation last week from Democrat to Republican. The county attorney released a reaaaallly believable statement about why he switched parties. (Somehow, he forgot to mention that he made the switch because he was worried about re-election…hmmmmm.) The rumor is a Republican was going to run against him and Racki wanted to hold on to his position during next year’s election.
In his statement, Racki said:
For the past several years, we have watched the Democratic party change its stance on law enforcement. Movements to ‘defund the police,’ attacks on law enforcement officials and officers, and putting criminals before victims has gone too far. The Republican Party puts the safety and freedom of law-abiding citizens first by standing with law enforcement.
Huh.
Did Josh memory hole the Republican riot on January 6, 2021? Democrats weren’t the ones beating a police officer with a flag pole, tasing, pepper spraying, and trampling officers at the U.S. Capitol. If Racki doesn’t remember that, then I have some questions about his mental ability to serve as the county attorney.
This you?
Source: https://www.fox29.com/news/rioters-maced-trampled-capitol-officers-new-documents-show-depth-of-jan-6-attack
This you?
Source: https://www.wusa9.com/article/features/producers-picks/dc-police-officer-describes-fighting-for-his-life-as-rioters-dragged-him/65-5405dfde-6c19-4c99-9160-e8a3d4173987
This you?
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/officer-who-responded-us-capitol-attack-is-third-die-by-suicide-2021-08-02/
The January 6th attack was a shameful disgrace as Republican fascist rioters overran our nation’s capital — incited and encouraged by then president, Donald Trump.
Can you imagine seeing what the Republican party is currently doing to destroy our country and thinking, mmmm, get me some of that??
In the Cascade County Democrats’ response statement to Racki’s party switch, they accurately stated:
The Cascade County Democrats are dedicated to safer communities not only through law enforcement but also supporting first responders, prevention programs, recovery programs, education, access to quality healthcare for all, a growing economy and lowering the cost of living. The Republican party is currently dismantling all of these systems at the local level all the way up to the federal level…. the Cascade County Democrats will continue to do the hard work of building a future that is better for ALL Montanans.
Josh Racki Is Finally Honest With Voters
Yeah, we saw it coming
To be honest with you, the majority of active local organizers and Cascade County Democrats saw this coming from a mile away. One obvious sign is Racki is good friends with Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter, also a party flipper for political gain. Hang around with clowns become a clown.
At least now he’s being honest with the voters. Maybe some memes will help explain the situation Josh is in:
How diD you kNow he’S RePublicaN?
Josh Racki last week, probably. Living his authentic truth.
An illustration in two parts
Now, enough talking about that loser. We don’t have time for the complicit enablers. We’ve got a fascist movement to turn around in this country.
