Welcome! Here are the topics for today’s column:
- Ballot Envelope Birth Year
- U.S. Senate Montana Poll
- Speaker Mike Johnson
- Domed Baseball Stadiums
- One More Thing
BALLOT ENVELOPE BIRTH YEAR:
A judge has struck down the silly rule that required Montana voters to write their birth year on absentee ballot return envelopes.
For those keeping score at home, MAGA Republicans passed that requirement in the Montana Legislature. (Source)
The Montana Free Press is reporting on the issue HERE. The Cascade County Elections Department posted the new information on their Facebook page.
U.S. SENATE MONTANA POLL:
Republican Kurt Alme holds a clear advantage in the Montana U.S. Senate race despite entering at the eleventh hour. His sudden candidacy followed a closed-door arrangement in which incumbent Steve Daines withdrew just minutes before the filing deadline to hand off the slot.
That pissed off many Montanans, but it does not appear it pissed them off enough to not support Alme.
A new poll commissioned through NonStop Local shows Republican candidate Kurt Alme with a sizable lead in the race for the US Senate seat being vacated by Senator Steve Daines.
NonStop Local reports that Kurt Alme, the Republican nominee, leads the field by 19 points. Around 45.1% of Montanans—surveyed via live phone calls and text conversations between September 19 and 24—expressed plans to vote for Alme. Support for Independent Seth Bodnar and Democrat Alani Bankhead just barely trailed behind Alme at 45% combined, with 26.1% of Montanans voicing their support for Bodnar to Bankhead’s 18.9%.
The race would have been exciting and competitive if Bankhead or Bodnar had stepped aside.
SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON:
NonStop Local is reporting that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson will be campaigning in Bozeman on October 20 for Congressional candidate Aaron Flint.
If Johnson wants to remain Speaker in the next Congress, he will need candidates like Flint to win their races. I’m not sure how big an attraction Johnson will be. He’s a pretty boring person. He’s about as exciting as watching paint dry.
Many in the media are waiting to hear when/where President Donald Trump will campaign in Montana.
DOMED BASEBALL STADIUMS:
Ty France of the San Diego Padres hit a high fly ball that struck a roof cable in deep left field during Game 1 of the 2026 National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The ball changed path after hitting the cable and dropped straight down, allowing Brewers left fielder Jackson Chourio to catch it for an out instead of a potential go-ahead, ninth-inning home run. Milwaukee won the game 3-2. (Source)
I believe that baseball is meant to be played outdoors under the open sky. While stadiums like the Brewers’ use retractable roofs to beat the elements, true baseball belongs in the fresh air, not under a lid.
ONE MORE THING:
Why do SCUBA divers fall backwards out of the boat?
Because if they fell forward, they would still be in the boat.
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