HELENA — A longtime Democratic state lawmaker has announced he’s running against Republican U.S. Rep. Troy Downing in Montana’s eastern congressional district.
Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, filed at the Montana Secretary of State’s Office on Wednesday afternoon.
(Watch the video for more on how the eastern district race is shaping up.)
Downing filed for reelection at the State Capitol last week, saying he’s proud of the work Congress has done during his term and that he wants to continue that. But Windy Boy says he didn’t want to hear about staying in the same direction for another two years – and that’s what convinced him to jump into the race.
“People are kind of questioning themselves: Is this really the path that Montana needs to go down?” he said.
Windy Boy, 67, has served in the Montana House, Senate, House again and now Senate again since 2003 – a longer consecutive period that any other current lawmaker. He also works as the tribal historic preservation officer for the Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy’s Reservation. This is his first time seeking higher office.
Windy Boy says he’s concerned about how federal health care and agricultural policies are affecting Montanans, about congressional budget deficits and about the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement, which he says has been concerning for many tribal members.
Windy Boy describes himself as a moderate Democrat and an independent thinker. He says he is “pro-life,” and in the Legislature, he broke with his party on some abortion bills – though he says more recent bills have gone too far with potential penalties for doctors performing abortions. He has also been one of the few legislative Democrats to advocate strongly for expanding charter schools.
“As far as any type of issue that's going to impact Montana, I want to see both sides of a story, basically,” he said. “That's what my intention is, that’s what my position has always been, and that’s how I'll always be, whether it be in D.C. or Helena.”
Windy Boy is the third Democratic candidate running against Downing. The other two – both making their first runs for office – don’t have his political experience, but they have already been campaigning around the eastern district for months. Brian Miller, an attorney from Helena, and Sam Lux, a farrier from Great Falls, both filed at the Secretary of State’s Office on Feb. 17.
Meanwhile, one other candidate filed with the Secretary of State this week – but he’s not yet guaranteed a spot on the ballot. Mike Eisenhauer, a cardiologist from Great Falls, is running as an independent. He needs to gather at least 7,274 signatures from registered voters by May, in order to qualify for the general election. On Monday, he told MTN his campaign has already collected more than 5,000 signatures – though they still need to be verified.
“What we're seeing is that there really is a tremendous appetite out here for something other than status quo,” he said.
Downing won his seat by more than 30 percentage points over his Democratic opponent in 2024, and national election analysts have again predicted the eastern district will be strongly Republican this year.
There’s now just one week left for candidates to get officially registered for the 2026 elections. The candidate filing period closes at 5 p.m. on March 4, when we will know everyone who is and isn’t running this year.
