Whitefish Republican Derek Peachey is running for House District 3.  

The massive district includes the north and west sides of Whitefish and encompasses Big Mountain, Olney, Tally Lake, Polebridge and West Glacier. It is 93% public land.   

Peachey is running against Democrat incumbent Debo Powers.  

Peachey describes himself as a Reagan Republican and says his values are rooted in family and faith. Low taxes, limited government, free enterprise and constitutional freedoms are his base, he said.  

“What I think Reagan did exceptionally well goes back to listening, communicating and being civil,” he said.  

Peachey, 51, has roots in Blairstown, New Jersey, a rural farming town. He studied geology at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania then moved to Fort Worth, Texas where he taught and coached for several years. He got his MBA attending classes in the evening.  

Peachey and his wife, who’s in the wine industry, then moved to Sonoma County, California. Peachey said they almost lost their house to two different wildfires in three years and decided to hit the road during the pandemic.  

“We drove through [Whitefish] and the second day here, my wife said, ‘This is going to be where we raise our boys.’ In 24 to 28 hours, we met so many people that shared our values,” he said. 

Since moving, Peachey has found community as a youth coach for Glacier Babe Ruth Baseball, Whitefish Little League and the Glacier Hockey Association, and as a member of First Presbyterian Church. 

Peachey said he is running because he “truly believes this is the last best place. We have found a place where our kids can still ride their bikes to fireworks. Yes, it’s changing, but how do we preserve what really makes this special?” 

Property taxes are his No. 1 issue. 

“Eighty to ninety percent of the doors I’ve knocked on have been negatively impacted by this new property tax structure,” he said, referencing seniors on fixed incomes and stating that most second homes are owned by Montanans. 

“That being said, I think it’s easier to edit than create. Something’s been created, but we’ve been disproportionately impacted, save maybe Gallatin and Madison [counties].”  

On public education, he said bond and levy measures “have to be more reasonable and smaller.” 

Peachey said he strongly supports public lands.  

“Balance is the key factor, and common-sense management of our forests,” he said. “When you have to carefully cut a road so you have access should a fire break, should you thin a forest... to me that’s the right balance.” 

Peachey said he is not in favor of CI-194 on political spending. 

“Why is an anti-dark money bill being funded by dark money?” he asked.

Peachey said he does not support subsidized housing and said that affordable housing could be made easier through permitting and zoning processes. 

Peachey – an entrepreneur in tech – said that artificial intelligence is “in many respects, the future.” He believes that any decisions about data centers should be made by local residents.