MT-AL: Rob Quist (D) vs. Greg Gianforte (R) vs. Mark Wicks (L), May 25

[Young Conservative]

State Senator Ed Buttrey (R-Great Falls) has become the first contender to jump into the race for MT-AL.

http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/politics/ed-buttrey-becomes-first-candidate-to-announce-for-replacing-zinke/article_1b37cd40-565e-58fc-b340-1f553c7aff4e.html

Nice. Certainly hope he gets the nomination.

He's a moderate. He supported Medicaid expansion in Montana and sponsored it. With that record, it'll be tough to avoid a stiff primary challenge. If a true conservative jumps in, expect a lot of money to pour in.

Where does he fall along the MT GOP's spectrum?

[Young Conservative]

Is it fair to consider Quist's failure a failure of Bernie's populist angle? Quist had a lot of baggage of his own. He wasn't the best candidate for this race.

Montana's political bench for both sides is notoriously thin and both candidates are immensely flawed. Recruitment isn't to blame for this race's failure on the side of Democrats.