Fox News calls Montana Senate Seat 1 for Tim Sheehy. Nov 6 • 6:28 AM ET AP calls Montana House District 1 for Ryan Zinke. Nov 6 • 1:02 AM ET AP calls Montana House District 2 for Troy Downing.

A House committee on Friday gave early approval to House Bill 207, which would double the number of signatures independent and minor-party candidates need to qualify for office. The bill would also shorten by 50 days the amount of time candidates had to gather signatures.

HELENA, Mont. — A bill allowing political parties to donate directly to judicial candidates has cleared another major hurdle. After passing the House last month on a near-party line vote, House Bill 39 made it through Senate Judiciary on Wednesday morning on a partisan 6-3 vote less than two hours after its hearing.

"This is nothing more than an effort to have biased judges who are going to align themselves with the Republican Party," one opponent said.

Opinion: Montana continues to be a producer of hydroelectric power. This time Montana has profited not from extraction, but from capturing nature’s recurring reserves.

The U.S. Supreme Court this week declined to weigh in on a pair of state election laws declared unconstitutional by the Montana Supreme Court early last year. The laws sought to ban same-day voter registration and paid absentee ballot collection.

Nov 5 • 10:00 PM ET Fox News calls Montana for Donald Trump ... to date with the most crucial states of the 2024 presidential election. Our editorial team has highlighted key races to watch ...

Opinion: For more than half a century since the adoption of the Montana Constitution, candidates for judicial office have run as nonpartisans. Senate Bill 42 would upend that practice.

"I can think of no better way of ending a career of public service than serving the Democratic Party and championing the values we hold dear," Hogan wrote.

Senate Republicans have numerous pieces of legislation to consider during the 2025 session, but few are as important as bills to reform Montana’s overreaching courts.

The 69th session of the Montana Legislature is now underway, and it’s a pivotal moment for the future of our state.