Indian candidate defeats another in Montana
Correction: Frosty Calf Boss Ribs is a woman, not a man. Who knew.

Two Montana tribal members faced each other in the Democratic primary on Tuesday.

Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, a member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe, defeated incumbent Sen. Frank Smith, a member of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, for Senate District 16. Both candidates have been supported by INDN's List.

Windy Boy was term limited in the House so he sought the Senate nomination. The district includes the Fort Peck Reservation and the Fort Belknap Reservation. The Republican Party did not find a candidate.

In other primary news, incumbent Rep. Shannon Augare, a member of the Blackfeet Nation, and incumbent Rep. Margarett Campbell, a member of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, went unchallenged and will retain their seats because the Republicans did not present a candidate.

James Steele Jr, the chairman of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, lost a three-way Democratic race for House District 15 by just 75 votes. A woman named Frosty Calf Boss Ribs won. Again, there was no Republican candidate.

Get the Story:
Four House races too close to call (The Great Falls Tribune 6/5)