Midway through the candidate filing period, a handful of races in Northwest Montana have emerged as hotbeds of intraparty competition.

Multiple Republicans are set to run in four of the region’s top political races, including races for the state House of Representatives, Senate and Public Service Commission.  

Three Republicans have registered in House District 4, which includes Columbia Falls and the eastern edge of Whitefish. Business owner Shaun Pandina plans to try his luck in the district after losing the 2024 primary in District 7 to fellow Republican Courtenay Sprunger. He’ll face Nathan Purdy, the owner of a medical imaging service, and incumbent Lyn Bennett, a registered nurse. Paula Koch, a Spanish teacher at Columbia Falls Junior High School, is the only Democrat currently registered in the race. 

House District 7, representing the heart of Kalispell, is also posed for a Republican runoff. While neither has registered with the Secretary of State’s Office, incumbent Courtenay Sprunger and newcomer Luke Maxwell are both soliciting campaign donations through personal websites. 

In the Senate, District 1 is currently posed to be the most competitive race in Northwest Montana, with three candidates vying for the chance to replace longstanding Sen. Mike Cuffe. Former representative Steve Gunderson and local business owner Vincent Backen are both registered as Republicans while Libby mayoral candidate Jonathan Jameson is throwing his hat in the ring as a Democrat.   

The race for Public Service Commissioner of District 5, including the eastern side of the Flathead Valley, includes Republican incumbent Annie Bukacek and former commission employee and fellow Republican David Sanders. 

A HANDFUL of other races have drawn a single candidate from each side of the aisle so far.  

Montana House District 3, including Whitefish and the West Glacier area, is poised for a repeat of the 2024 general election, which saw Democrat Debo Powers face off against Republican Cathy Mitchell. 

Democrat Luca Welle, a river guide and substitute teacher, plans to run against incumbent Republican Braxton Mitchell to represent Montana House District 5, which includes Hungry Horse, Coram and Martin City.  

In House District 6, which encompasses northwest Kalispell, Republican Jim Riley, a business consultant, is currently slated to run against Democrat Darren Fix, a software engineer, in the general election. 

Republican incumbent Mark Noland would compete with Democrat Patrick Fitzpatrick for Senate District 6, which includes the eastern shore and Big Arm of Flathead Lake. 

Republican candidates for Senate District 6 and House Districts 1, 2, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 remained unchallenged as of Feb. 23. 

Candidates have through March 4 to file for the primary, so the ballot will likely lengthen for some races. The primary election is set for June 2 and the general election for Nov. 3. 

Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at 758-4433 or [email protected].