Mike Jopek

Western House district Democrats begin making case to voters • Daily Montanan A series of events have allowed four candidates running in the primary for the U.S. House to begin differentiating themselves at the start of the months-long primary campaign

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Democratic candidates for Western Congressional District make their cases in Whitefish Ryan Busse, Russell Cleveland, Matt Rains and Sam Forstag make their first joint appearance since Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke announced he won’t seek reelection.

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Democrats Running for Western Congressional Seat Draw Distinctions Between Their Campaigns in First Flathead Meeting - Flathead Beacon The four Democratic hopefuls running for Montana’s western congressional seat drew parallels and distinctions between their respective campaigns at a roundtable in the Flathead Monday.

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Behind the scenes at the Performing Arts Center MT-01 Democrat Roundtable w/ Beer, Buds and Big Sky Podcast. Stream at link: mikejopek.substack.com/p/western-co... #mtpol

The top 1 percent now control $55.8 trillion in assets — more than the gross domestic product of the United States and China combined. 300 billionaires and their families spent more than $3 billion on federal elections in 2024. #mtpol www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/u...

Billionaires Are Swaying Elections in All Corners of America

Billionaires made 19 percent of all reported federal campaign contributions in 2024, a Times analysis shows, and even more in some local elections. Wealthy donors are reaping the rewards. #mtpol

Iran war spreading economic damage far beyond oil and gas markets The conflict has hit Europe and Asia harder than the United States, with rising shipping costs and energy prices.

"Farmers, meanwhile, will probably be among the first Americans to feel a financial jolt from the war. Three of the world’s top 10 producers of urea and anhydrous ammonia fertilizer are in the conflict zone: Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iran.
Urea prices jumped by roughly one-quarter last week..." #mtpol

Monday March 9 #mtpol

Dark vs. Dark Party bosses seem intent on purging rural Republicans from their own party, replaced by loyalist who pass the ideological purity test

Those dozens of dark money groups operating in Montana aren’t going anywhere soon. They operate outside the party, controlling more resources than Democrats and Republicans combined. None will unilaterally disarm. Voters decide what kind of Montana we live in. #mtpol

Dark vs. Dark - Flathead Beacon SPLAT! The safe fell from the rope and squashed the dark spy. The light spy looked on with delight, arms crossed, too late to see the lit fuse rapidly burning behind him. POOF! For 26 years the Cuban ...

Party bosses seem intent on purging rural Republicans from their own party, replaced by loyalist who pass the ideological purity test #mtpol

Rising Tide of Change - Flathead Beacon I know the rent is expensive, but “Have you seen that the Dow is over 50,000?” seems to be the only reaction from the Republican machine running Montana and Washington, D.C. The Dow dipped back below ...

#mtpol Rising Tide of Change

Dark money big in MT #mtpol

Overtaxed and Underappreciated - Flathead Beacon We walked the dogs down to the fishing access. It was February, warm and raining. We’re still waiting for the last big freeze before seeding too much for later farm production. Who knows when the end ...

Overtaxed and Underappreciated #mtpol

Oily Pines - Flathead Beacon Seven eagles perched on the skeletal-like limbs of the pines next to the scrap metal pile at the dump. They balanced, unmoving, unscathed by the humans below. They watched and waited. There they sat, ...

Oily Pines #mtpol

104-year-old WWII veteran Dominick Critelli performs national anthem 🎷🇺🇸 YouTube video by NHL

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Give a Little Bit After years of waiting, we know the men of Congress hardly lift a hand to help locals

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Give a Little Bit - Flathead Beacon Years before I was born, a crotchety Grinch made his way into children’s books across America. With his half-sized heart that grew threefold by Christmas, the cranky creature from Mount Crumpet deligh...

After years of waiting, we know the men of Congress hardly lift a hand to help locals #mtpol

Give Us a Break Let’s hope next year is cheaper, kinder, and more accessible to the people working ordinary, everyday jobs

I sigh. The four men of Congress don’t care, don’t listen, unlikely to read these words or even talk with any working stiff in Kalispell. I’ll have to buckle down, farm harder, longer into retirement years and watch the American dream slip away from a generation of Montanans. #mtpol

Give Us a Break - Flathead Beacon The clerk tallied up the groceries and said $320. Cha-ching. I looked at the pile of groceries, shook my head, and slipped a credit card into the pay slot. No use blaming the check-out guy, he’s just ...

Uncommon Ground: Give Us a Break flatheadbeacon.com/2025/12/10/g... #mtpol

Feds promise aid to ag industry squeezed by rising costs, market changes After months of pleading from the nation’s agricultural sector, the federal government says farmers and ranchers will get much needed financial aid at the end of the year. Numerous federal policy chan...

"A recent report from the American Farm Bureau Federation says bankruptcy filings among farmers are on the rise. Many Montana farmers say their margins are too slim to survive until next season without federal support." #mtpol

Going Home - Flathead Beacon For the lucky enough to be rich, the cruelty of Montana’s quickly increasing cost of living won’t much affect the wallet. One of the big East Coast newspapers even wrote that a handful of ultra-rich g...

My latest in the Beacon #mtpol The world could do with some words of kindness

Farmers Face Prospect of Skyrocketing Healthcare Premiums More than a quarter of U.S. farmers rely on the Affordable Care Act, but despite the government shutdown, tax credits are set to expire.

More than a quarter of U.S. farmers rely on the Affordable Care Act, but Biden-era tax credits expire at the end of the year. #mtpol

Consultant Cush All across America, in hundreds of local elections, people chose leaders they trust

We keep telling you that everything got too expensive. But it seems you’re only listening to the overpaid consultants. Hopefully last week’s landslide election results opened eyes a bit. #mtpol

Consultant Cush - Flathead Beacon We keep telling you that everything got too expensive. But it seems you’re only listening to the overpaid consultants. Hopefully last week’s landslide election results opened eyes a bit. People are un...

Uncommon Ground: Consultant Cush flatheadbeacon.com/2025/11/12/c... #mtpol

Inspiration of a New Generation - Flathead Beacon I looked with shock at the price on the chocolate bar at the grocer. It read $8.49. I swear it was less than five bucks just last month. It’s good chocolate but that’s a big price increase. America’s ...

Uncommon Ground: Inspiration of a New Generation flatheadbeacon.com/2025/10/29/i... #mtpol

Optimism of Andy Feury - Flathead Beacon City Councilor Andy Feury attended Flathead High School along with the late County Commissioner Joe Brenneman. They took American history class together back when school kids read printed newspapers l...

Uncommon Ground: Optimism of Andy Feury #mtpol

22 states are in a recession or close to it, new analysis finds Twenty-two states are either in a recession or on the precipice of a downturn, according to a new analysis from Moody's Analytics.

Montana tagged as "In or at high risk of a recession". Budget shortfalls upcoming soon #mtpol

Digitally Divided - Flathead Beacon He levered his arm downward as if switching off the power and said to just turn off the internet. I’d asked him how to calm many of the arguments plaguing society. He offered a simple yet fascinating ...

Uncommon Ground: Digitally Divided #mtpol

Listening - Flathead Beacon As I made the long drive from the Flathead to the Windy City to chat with statewide Democrats, I noticed the same phenomenon I do every time I travel across this big state; our landscape is incredibly...

Uncommon Ground: Listening #mtpol flatheadbeacon.com/2025/09/17/l...

'Time for a new era': Shannon O'Brien elected as chair of Montana Democratic Party "It’s time for a new era, and this is that new chapter," O'Brien said. New vice chair Max Johansen said Democrats "need to be on the attack" to gain ground.

Unity and respect to the winner #mtpol