Democrats in rural Montana are striving to contest more local races to rebuild the party’s competitive bench and narrow down the typically wide margins favoring Republicans.
Driving the news: The Stillwater County Democratic Central Committee, which has experienced a resurgence of political activity, organized an event attended by 50 Democrats in August.
* Democratic activity in the county was reignited when Tommy Flanagan, a political organizer who co-chairs the committee, ran as a candidate in last year’s state House of Representatives race.
Political landscape: Although the Republicans dominate Stillwater County, with former President Donald Trump winning the county by 78% in 2020, Democrats are pushing against the trend.
* Democrats are seeking to challenge GOP margins by running candidates in all races, even in heavily Republican territories where winning feels improbable.
* In Montana’s last electoral cycle, Democrats left 37 of 150 legislative seats uncontested, the highest number of uncontested races in the state in a decade.
Broader implications: High numbers of uncontested races in rural areas are a concern for Democrats, extending beyond Montana.
* In Louisiana, for example, there are 77 unopposed candidates this election cycle, the majority belonging to Republicans.
* Similarly, in North Carolina last year, Democrats did not field a candidate in 44 of the 170 state legislature races.
Efforts to contest every race: There is out-of-state support coming from Contest Every Race, a national campaign dedicated to backing Democrats in local elections.
* The organization plans to spend $10 million on rural Democratic organizing efforts this cycle, aiming to challenge the estimated 100,000 Republican candidates who go unchallenged annually.
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