It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for something you are not. – Andre Gide

Welcome to “Thursday Numbers!” In case you’re a first-time visitor, this is the weekly column where I take a look at the numbers that are in the news (in descending order) and provide commentary sometimes sprinkled with sarcasm.

This week’s topics include Greg Gianforte, Democratic Governors Association, unemployment, National Education Association, Montana Democratic Party & Dirk Sandefur, FiveThirtyEight predictions, Tribune poll & judges, Twitter, Gannett & Great Falls Tribune, and much more!

43,000,000

That’s how much ($43 million) the Gianforte Family Foundation has donated to nonprofits and cultural organizations, religious education and outreach, and conservative public-policy groups. (MTN)

Hi, Greg – I just wanted you to know the Western Word has a “donate” button on the right side of the screen…

5,100,000

That’s how much ($5.1 million) Bozeman businessman Greg Gianforte has now personally spent in his campaign against Montana Gov. Steve Bullock. (AP)

I imagine he’ll be spending more…

3,350,000

That’s how much the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) has funneled into the Montana Governor’s race through the Good Jobs Montana PAC. (AP)

Money, money, everywhere…

528,000

The National Education Association (NEA) is spending $528,000 to defeat a Montana ballot initiative that would authorize the state to issue $200 million in bonds over the next decade for research into brain injuries and illnesses. (AP)

Shame on the NEA…

258,000

That’s how many new claims for unemployment were filed last week. (USDOL)

60,000

That’s how much the Montana Democratic Party has spent in advertising to support Dirk Sandefur, who is a district judge running for a seat on the Montana Supreme Court. (AP)

That smells. Judges should be appointed, not elected. Will any Montana legislator have the guts to try and change it?

85.7

As of this morning, the FiveThirtyEight blog predicts that Hillary Clinton has an 85.7% chance of winning the presidential election. In case you did not know, FiveThirtyEight is a website that focuses on opinion poll analysis. In the 2012 presidential election, the website correctly predicted the winner in all 50 states.

For my Missouri and Montana readers: The blog also predicts that there’s an 88% chance Donald Trump will win Montana and an 82.3% chance he will win Missouri.

In the Missouri U.S. Senate race, FiveThirtyEight predicts that Jason Kander (D) has a 56.7% chance of beating incumbent Roy Blunt (R).

60

The Great Falls Tribune asked readers, “Do you think past and present judges should be able to influence a judicial race?” As of this morning, almost 150 people responded and 60% said “No.”

Judges should be appointed, not elected.

9

Twitter announced today that it will cut 9% of its global workforce as the social media service continues to struggle generating accelerated growth in its user base. (USA Today)

Please don’t leave us, Twitter…

5

Gannett, which owns USA TODAY and more than 100 local news properties, is reducing its workforce by about 2 percent to help manage costs in a difficult environment for print and digital advertising. Gannett is the parent company of the Great Falls Tribune, which announced five layoffs in the newsroom, advertising and marketing Tuesday. (GF Tribune)

Best of luck and thanks to those who lost their jobs at the Great Falls Tribune.

 

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