Candidates set for Montana's statewide races

At 5 p.m. Monday, the window closed for candidates to file to run for elected office in Montana this year, officially setting the stage for a hugely consequential election season.

Toward the top of the ballot — not counting the presidential contest between presumptive nominees Joe Biden and Donald Trump — voters will have a choice between incumbent U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and a slew of challengers intent on stopping the Democrat from winning a fourth term, chief among them Republican businessman Tim Sheehy. But with 416 total candidates having filed to run for offices ranging from U.S. Senate to the state Legislature, there will be plenty of other names for voters to ponder come the June primary.

“Thank you and congratulations to all of the candidates who filed to represent our wonderful state,” Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, Montana’s top election administrator, said in a statement upon the close of filing. “I wish all candidates the best of luck in the upcoming elections.”