Jacobsen touts leadership, smaller government in western Montana House race

Helena became the stage for Christi Jacobsen’s case to western Montana voters, as the secretary of state used a candidate interview to argue that her work in state government would translate to Congress. Jacobsen, who became Montana’s 22nd secretary of state on Jan. 4, 2021, leaned on election administration, business filing fees and a push to shrink government as the core of her pitch in the open race for Montana’s western U.S. House seat.

The seat opened after Ryan Zinke announced on March 2, 2026, that he would not seek another term. Zinke has represented Montana’s 1st Congressional District since 2023, and the district stretches across western Montana, including Kalispell, Missoula, Butte and Bozeman. Four Republicans are now competing for the GOP nomination: Ray Curtis, Aaron Flint, Jacobsen and Al Olszewski. The eventual nominee will move on to a general election field that includes the Democratic nominee, Libertarian Nick Sheedy of Columbia Falls and possibly independent candidate Kimberly Persico.

Jacobsen told viewers and voters that she had already shown she could manage government effectively. She pointed to changes in her office that cut new business filing fees from $70 to $35 and waived annual report filing fees for all businesses in 2024. Her office has also highlighted more than 8,000 new businesses opening across Montana, presenting those numbers as proof that lower costs and less red tape can help employers start and grow. For business owners in Helena, Lewis and Clark County and across the district, that message is straightforward: Jacobsen is asking voters to see state-office administration as a model for federal management.

Her argument is not limited to business. Jacobsen said she favors reducing the size of government and tied that view to housing affordability, saying she would want to speed up permitting and reduce regulation. She also said federal spending restraint is necessary because of the deficit, a position that puts her in step with the Trump administration’s effort to shrink parts of the federal workforce. For voters, that could mean a lighter hand on business and development, but it could also mean fewer federal resources and less oversight in areas where communities often rely on Washington.

Jacobsen’s record also carries political baggage. In 2024, the Montana Supreme Court struck down several 2021 election laws she had defended, including changes to voter-registration timing, absentee-ballot rules and paid ballot collection. The plaintiffs included multiple Native American tribes, Western Native Voice, the Montana Democratic Party and other advocacy groups. That history matters in western Montana, where election rules, voter access and state oversight have been among the most contested issues in recent cycles.