Judge Dan Wilson launches new bid for Montana Supreme Court seat

Flathead County District Court Judge Dan Wilson is again running for the Montana Supreme Court.  

Wilson said in an April 9 press release that he plans to run for the seat currently held by Justice Beth Baker, which will appear on the 2026 ballot. Baker is not seeking reelection.  

The decision to run again comes just months after Wilson’s bid for a spot on the state high court ended in defeat.  

Despite recent efforts by the Legislature to introduce partisan politics into the state’s court, Wilson said he plans to approach his second bid for the Supreme Court in much the same fashion as his first — with an emphasis on his experience as a judge and his to-the-letter interpretation of the Montana Constitution. 

“I don’t believe that the constitution is a living breathing document that should be interpreted differently in the moment,” said Wilson. 

Wilson developed his stance as a constitutional conservative through three decades of experience both practicing and interpreting law. Wilson has served as a district court judge in Flathead County since 2017. Prior to that, he served as the justice of the peace in Flathead County Justice Court, as a deputy county attorney in Great Falls and as the chief deputy county attorney in Chinook. 

Wilson was highly favored by Republican leaders in the 2024 election cycle. Several high-ranking politicians, including Gov. Greg Gianforte and House Majority Leader Steve Fitzpatrick, R-Great Falls, donated to Wilson’s campaign and he received endorsements from groups like the Flathead County Republican Central Committee. 

Katherine Bidegaray eventually secured 54% of votes to beat out Wilson after receiving similar support from organizations often considered to be more liberal leaning, including workers unions and public land advocacy groups.  

But both Wilson and Bidegaray largely reputed the partisan personas assigned to them during the 2024 election cycle.  

“We’re not politicians. We are not there to decide what the laws in Montana are,” said Wilson, adding that he believes the role of the Supreme Court is to interpret how laws written by the Legislature apply to the people of Montana. 

Wilson said he also entered the 2024 election cycle with a personal promise to steer clear of the political hard balling and personal attacks that characterize many elections. 

“I am proud to say that I kept that promise,” he said. “These races should not be about attacks.” 

Wilson reaffirmed his dedication to running a clean campaign in 2026, though he admitted that the upcoming race could attract the attention of out-of-state interests and partisan groups.  

“There is a great disagreement in our country and state,” said Wilson. “It’s sort of inevitable that these races are going to get more attention.” 

A recent election for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat shattered election expenditure records, with interest groups spending over $100 million on the race. Many of the funds were linked to out-of-state interest groups or individuals, including $23 million that was linked to billionaire Elon Musk, who is an advisor to President Donald Trump. 

The Wisconsin race was supercharged by an emphasis on issues like abortion access, which Wilson considers a settled issue for Montanans after the passing of CI-128 added abortion protections to the state constitution. For other issues, Wilson said he plans to take a similarly conservative approach that factors in the 160 years of court precedents.  

“I do not believe that any judge, whether they are a constitutional conservative or not, should look at the task of overthrowing precedent with anything but the greatest of care,” said Wilson. 

Wilson appears to be the first candidate to announce an intention to run for the Supreme Court seat. The deadline for candidates to file to run will likely be in March 2026. 

Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at hsmalley@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4433.