Whitefish candidate joins U.S. House race

Whitefish businesswoman Diane Smith is joining the field of Democrats hoping to replace outgoing Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg.

Smith filed paperwork Thursday to join the Democratic primary race for Montana’s lone seat in the House of Representatives.

Smith is the fifth Democrat to enter the race.

So far, state Sen. Kim Gillan has led the field in fundraising. Other Democratic candidates include state Rep. Franke Wilmer of Bozeman, Missoula City Council member Dave Strohmaier and former legislative lawyer Rob Stutz.

Republican Steve Daines of Bozeman so far appears unchallenged in his bid to get that party’s support to replace Rehberg, who is running for U.S. Senate against incumbent Jon Tester, D-Mont.

“Montana needs Congress to focus on creating jobs, and that is what I have spent my life doing,” Smith said in a news release.

“Like a lot of parents, my husband and I are concerned about what kind of future our 17-year-old daughter will face. As I travel around our state, I am awed by the spirit and entrepreneurship of Montana’s people. But over the past several years, policies in D.C. have become impediments to our innovation and prosperity, and our elected leaders are either unable or unwilling to stop the political games and focus on results.

Smith co-founded a high-tech digital video company in Kalispell called Avail-TVN.

The company has grown to more than $190 million in annual sales.

Smith left the company in 2008 after raising sufficient funding to ensure its viability and overseeing a merger that kept its technology jobs in Montana.

Smith, having worked in emerging technologies and consulted with numerous start-ups in Montana, said she knows what it takes to start a business from scratch and provide good jobs and a future for Montana. 

Smith moved to Montana in 2002 after working in fast-growth telecommunications companies that deployed new wireless and communications technologies. “Before we moved to Montana, I worked in Washington, D.C., and saw up close how government could facilitate new ideas or stop them cold,” she said.

“Washington needs to remember that growth and prosperity come from the small business people who create most of the nation’s new jobs, and invest themselves, their vision, and often their life savings into their companies.”

Smith has been married to her husband, David Pickeral, for 31 years. Their daughter Ally is a senior at Whitefish High School. 

She is the author of TheNewRural.Com, a graduate of George Mason University and George Mason University School of Law and a member of the Montana Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs. 

She is a guest lecturer in entrepreneurship at the University of Montana, serves on the Whitefish City-County Planning Board and is a founding member of the Flathead 911 Foundation.

Her website is DianeSmithforMontana.com.