HELENA — Since Montana was divided into congressional districts again in 2022, the state’s 2nd Congressional District has been dominated by Republicans. But while it’s been a daunting challenge for Democrats, two Democratic candidates are running against incumbent U.S. Rep. Troy Downing in the 2026 election.
The 2nd District includes most of central and eastern Montana, including Great Falls, Helena and Billings. In 2024, Downing won election there by 32 percentage points over Democrat John Driscoll, as President Donald Trump won the district by 30 points. In 2022, U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale won more than half the vote against two major challengers, with independent Gary Buchanan in second place and Democrat Penny Ronning in third.
Downing, like 1st District U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, got an endorsement from Trump on Truth Social last week.
“Troy bravely served our Great Country in the U.S. Air Force as a Combat Veteran and, in Congress, he is fighting tirelessly to Support our Farmers and Ranchers, Champion American Energy DOMINANCE by helping to keep the price of Gasoline, Oil, and all forms of Energy VERY LOW (CHEAP!), Help Secure our now VERY Secure (Record Setting!) Southern Border, Strengthen our Military/Veterans, Defend our always under siege Second Amendment, which has not been attacked, amended, or changed while I was President, and Restore PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH,” Trump wrote.
(Watch the video to hear from the Democratic candidates who've announced they're running.)
While the eastern district voted heavily for Trump, the two Democrats campaigning for House – Brian Miller of Helena and Sam Lux of Great Falls – argue some of those voters are becoming disillusioned with what the administration has done.
“They thought they were going to get lower prices, better job creation and more stability,” Miller said. “I think that the effects of what people are seeing is really starting to hit them, and I think that some voters in Montana might do the unthinkable and actually vote for a Democrat in this election.”
“There are a lot of folks that feel underserved,” said Lux. “Not that they don't still identify as Republicans – nor would I ask them not to – but that they feel like the folks that they elected have not fulfilled the promises that they were led to believe they would.”
Miller, 53, is an attorney. Originally from the Southeast, he says he’s lived in Montana for most of the last 25 years. In 2007, after completing law school, he spent several years working for the Montana Supreme Court. Since 2010, he’s worked with the Helena law firm Morrison, Sherwood, Wilson and Deola.
Miller says he’s hearing from voters who are unhappy with Trump’s position on trade and tariffs, with what he calls the federal government’s aggressive tactics on immigration enforcement and with cuts in programs like Medicaid. Since deciding to run this summer, Miller has been delivering presentations around the district, talking about issues like immigration and his views on the country’s founding principles.
“I think a lot of citizens right now feel like government is not listening to them, and that's something that that I'm trying to do – I'm listening to people,” he said. “And I think that whether you're a conservative or liberal or an independent, that's a very important element that people feel is missing right now.”
Miller says he’s willing to break with his party. He criticizes congressional Democrats for their handling on the government shutdown, saying they should have taken the deal that ended it sooner.
“I'm first and foremost an independent-minded Montanan,” he said. “The party label is always going to be second for me personally.”
Lux, 29, works as a farrier – caring for horses’ hooves. He previously worked as a veterinary technician and in the tech industry before starting his own business, Lux Farrier Service. He says his work has introduced him to people across the eastern district, many of them farmers and ranchers, and given him a feel for the challenges they’re facing today.
“Montana is a farming community – regardless of how it's built up over the years, it's still a farming community,” he said. “I'm out there every day with them, I see what they go through, I know the price of wheat right now, I know how much it's cost them to make it, I know how hard it is to repair that equipment – and that's the kind of person we need representing the farming community.”
Lux grew up in California and says he came to Montana about six and a half years ago. “Sam Lux” is not his birth name; he says he began using it years ago because he’s estranged from his father, and that he’s always been known as Sam Lux in his businesses. He legally changed his name in Montana district court this summer.
Lux maintains a distinct image for a political candidate, including wearing a red bandana as a symbol of his goal to encourage what he calls “redneck Democrats.”
“It was the Democrats that stood up and were willing to go to the mat, and fight and die if necessary, to make sure that the working man was taken care of,” he said.
Both Miller and Lux are making their first runs for office. While they’re technically competitors for the Democratic nomination, they both say they’ve become friendly during the campaign and that they’ll each gladly support the other if they win the primary.
“At the end of the day, we're both here to help people; we’re not here for just the personal glory and gain,” Lux said. “He's invited me out to his events, I've been inviting him out to my events, we try to work as closely as we can together.”
“We think that voters are going to see that the Montana Democratic Party is a party of people that care about each other,” said Miller. “Whoever wins, may the best man win, whoever the voters decide is the best person to represent them – but we're not going to be tearing at each other.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story follows a story on candidates in Montana’s western congressional district, available
