Breaking out the election numbers

With the exception of Zinke and Dupont, Whitefish backs Democratic candidates

By RICHARD HANNERS / Whitefish Pilot

With the exception of Zinke and Dupont, Whitefish backs Democratic candidates

Whether it was Obama-mania or concern over the war in Iraq, the Wall Street meltdown and energy issues, a record number of Montanans cast early ballots in last week's election.

In the Flathead, with the exception of one precinct, 9,032 early ballots went to John McCain and 7,673 went to Barack Obama. All told, 43,562 ballots were cast in the county for about 75 percent turnout.

Supporters of president-elect Barack Obama set up 19 permanent offices across Montana and enlisted 14,000 volunteers in Obama's Campaign For Change. That included 18 staging locations in Northwest Montana for the final get-out-the-vote effort — and record amounts of money spent on advertising.

Locally, voters were deluged with mass postcard mailings by candidates, parties and political committees that focused on key races that could change control over the Montana House, Senate and land board.

Two Whitefish candidates faced off in the important Senate District 2 race, which joins Whitefish and Columbia Falls. Republican Ryan Zinke defeated Democrat Brittany MacLean by 5,454 to 4,544.

Zinke won nine of the senate district's 12 precincts, including six of the seven House District 3 precincts. Zinke took all three urban precincts in the Columbia Falls area by 1,391 to 970. MacLean's lone precinct win in HD 3 was in the upper reaches of the Canyon, past West Glacier.

Democrat Mick Holm, who lost the HD 3 race to Republican Dee Brown by 2,616 to 1,965, estimated that about 1,000 more voters cast ballots in his race than in 2006, when Democrat Doug Cordier defeated the incumbent Brown. Holm said he received more votes than Cordier and still lost.

In the Whitefish area, MacLean won three of House District 4's five precincts — 47, the staunchly Democratic urban area immediately north of the railroad tracks; 46, the mostly rural area between U.S. 93 and Twin Bridges Road; and 20, the urban area immediately southwest of downtown, where Zinke lives.

Zinke won two rural precincts — 48, the urban and rural area east of U.S. 93, and 44, the staunchly Republican area south of Highway 40 — but he still beat MacLean in HD 4 by 2,853 to 2,568.

Zinke's victory helped the Republicans claim a 27-23 control in the Montana Senate. Holm's loss in Columbia Falls was offset by Cheryl Steenson's narrow victory in Evergreen over incumbent Republican Craig Witte, 2,006 to 1,984.

The Montana House is now split 50-50. Last session, the Republicans held a narrow 51-49 lead in the House, with the cooperation of the Constitutional Party's Rick Jore. With a Democrat as governor, the Democrats get to choose the Speaker of the House.

The Whitefish area continued to support Democrats across the board, with the exception of the county commissioner race. The margins of victory were also generally not large.

While Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama won six of the Whitefish area's seven precincts and defeated John McCain by 3,710 to 3,058, Republican county commissioner candidate Jim Dupont took four precincts and defeated Whitefish Democrat Steve Qunell by 3,436 to 3,182.

Whitefish voters supported Democrats in all five statewide races, helping give the party 5-0 control over the state land board.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a former Whitefish resident, won all seven Whitefish area precincts and easily defeated Republican challenger Roy Brown by 4,626 to 2,071.

The Secretary of State race was much closer. Democrat Linda McCulloch only won two of the seven precincts, and she barely defeated incumbent Brad Johnson by 39 votes — 3,241 to 3,202. Democrat Steve Bullock, on the other hand, won the attorney general race in Whitefish by 5 percentage points, defeating Tim Fox by 3,593 to 2,914.

Democrat Monica Lindeen defeated Duane Grimes in the state auditor race by 4 percentage points, 3,447 to 2,897, and Denise Juneau won the race for superintendent of public instruction by defeating Elaine Sollie Herman by 6 percentage points, 3,342 to 2,642.

Whitefish voters favored both county bond issues. They approved a $6.9 million bond to build a new 911 emergency dispatch center by 3,549 to 2,798 and a $10 million open-space bond by 3,476 to 2,934. Countywide, the dispatch center bond was narrowly approved, but the open-space bond was soundly defeated.