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Billings City Council will conduct a Special Session on Monday at 4:00pm to decide whether to hold a municipal primary election that the County canceled due to insufficient candidates and which will cost the City $100,000. The resolution before Council would provide a primary election for the races for Mayor, Ward 2, and Ward 4, which have more than two candidates in each race.
In the letter: Yellowstone County Election Administrator K.V. Aldrich wrote to City Clerk Denise Bohlman:
- "I have determined that the September 9, 2025, municipal primary election for the City of Billings will not be held due to a lack of candidates."
- The letter notes that "the governing body may still require that a primary election be held for a nonpartisan office if it passes a resolution not more than 10 days after the close of filing."
Why it matters: The process and outcome of an election between four candidates, like the mayor's race, could be much different than an election between two candidates in a head-to-head race.
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Majority winner: Four candidates for mayor could allow someone to win with 26% of the vote. While the mayor of a council-manager form of government has limited powers, Council will need to wrestle with the question of whether it's ok for the elected head of government to potentially win with so few votes.
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Campaign dynamics shift: Head-to-head races force direct candidate comparisons and differentiation to provide clearer choices for voters. On the other hand, a four-way race could be a more friendly affair as campaigns focus on a YES vote for their candidate rather than encouraging voters to vote against the other contender, as we often see in national head-to-head races. (It should be noted that Billings municipal races and candidates are generally VERY civil and respectful, rarely going negative.)
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Voter turnout: is lower in a municipal election cycle, and even lower for a municipal primary election. A primary election would give voters another opportunity to make their voices heard, but lower turnout means fewer folks are actually weighing in.
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Organizational endorsements: In the past, the Billings Chamber has stayed out of races with more than two candidates, when more than one candidate would do well for our members' interests. With half of the upcoming races featuring 3+ candidates, the Billings Chamber and other endorsing organizations may weigh that consideration for endorsing candidates if Council skips a primary election.
The big picture: A slew of 16 candidates filed for the upcoming municipal election. Find your ward here.
Mayor
Jennifer Owen (current Ward 2 Councilwoman)
Mike Boyett (current Ward 5 Councilman)
Amanda Housler
Mike Nelson
Ward 1
Mark Nicholson
David Redmon
Ward 2
Denis Pitman (former City Council and County Commission)
Earnest Hammer
Kassi Strong
Ward 3
TJ Rogers (current Ward 3 Councilwoman)
Amy Aguirre
Ward 4
Daniel Tidswell (current Ward 4 Councilman)
Andrew Lindley
Kassidy Olson
Ward 5
Tony O'Donnell (former Public Service Commissioner)
Patrick Olp
Down memory lane: The last Billings municipal election that featured an open Mayor's race was in 2017 and hosted a crowded field of 21 candidates.
- The race for Billings Mayor had six candidates on the primary ballot before getting narrowed down to Bill Cole and Jeff Essmann in the General Election.
- Other than Mayor Cole, nobody else from that election cycle is still on the City Council…he's literally the last man standing!
The bottom line: Either way, Council's decision on holding or not holding a primary election will have varying impacts on elections. Whether the impacts are good or bad will likely be determined post-election and based on whether a favored candidate prevailed. For now, the Billings Chamber recognizes the tradeoffs and pros/cons of each option. We're pleased to see so much interest in local government—where the most important and impactful decisions are made—and look forward to an interesting election cycle.
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