Candidates reflect on lopsided primary results

By RICHARD HANNERS/For the Hungry Horse News

As the smoke cleared from the June 3 primary, a lot of political pundits were playing Monday morning quarterback explaining how former sheriff Jim Dupont so resoundingly defeated incumbent Flathead County commissioner Gary Hall.

"I was a little surprised with how high the numbers were," Dupont told the Hungry Horse News. "But we had a good campaign crew and a lot of help."

One thing he learned on the campaign trail was that people want honesty, Dupont said, but more than that, they wanted consistency and accountability.

"People feel that's not happening," he said. "Lots of people told me that. That's not to say anyone is dishonest, just inconsistent."

Dupont continued to deny that he had personal or political links with former county planning board chairman Russ Crowder or his American Dream Montana watchdog group.

"Don't blame me for Crowder being against Hall," he said. "Crowder would've supported King Kong if that was the choice over Hall."

Dupont said the county needs to recognize potential impacts from a faltering economy.

"Flathead and Montana are still in pretty good shape, economically," he said. "But I'm not so sure about the future. We need to concentrate on bringing good jobs to the valley."

Hall said he has a good idea why Dupont won so handily.

"He put out 3-to-1 more signs than me," he said. "Jim's popularity is pretty substantial, but I'm fine with the results. I poured 120 percent-plus into this job for so long. I've been to school. Now it's time to pass it off."

Hall said he's pretty excited about what the future could hold for him, and he's proud of his achievements as county commissioner.

"I was here during the period of fastest growth in county history," he said. "I ruffled a lot of feathers. It's not a good old boys club anymore."

He said he had to deal with strong opposition from the day he defeated Dale Williams in the 2002 primary.

"Russ Crowder and Dick Skees worked for six years to get rid of me," Hall said. "It shows that full-page ads work. They were successful, which is unfortunate for the county."

IN THE SENATE District 2 race, two Whitefish residents will face off in a general election that so far promises to be much less emotional.

Bob Lawson, who represented Whitefish in the House in 2003, recalled having Brittany MacLean and Ryan Zinke as students in high school.

"It's nice to see two Whitefish people in the race," he said.

MacLean said she received a nice e-mail from her primary opponent, Gil Jordan, who has pledged his support. She also said she spoke with Zinke before and after the election.

The voters could benefit from a public debate, and while no definite plans have been made, MacLean said she'd like to invite Zinke to a town-hall meeting to discuss the issues.

"We have different solutions and approaches," she said. "I want people to know where I stand, and I want people to be informed."

Zinke, a retired Navy commander, said he's studied the precinct numbers from the primary.

"It appears by the strength of the Democratic numbers in the district, I am the underdog," he said. "That's OK. This election is about principles and the right leadership to get the job done. Principles stand above party lines, and on leadership, I have a lot of credible experience."

Zinke cited all the recent divisiveness in the community.

"The last thing we need is another mud-slinging campaign," he said. "When I saw that Brittany had won, I called her the next morning, and we pledged to run a positive campaign. We will keep it on the issues and highlight our differences without resorting to big-city tactics. I hope we will be able to eat breakfast together after the general election and know that we kept our pledge."

He also had some words for his primary opponent, Suzanne Brooks.

"Suzanne had a lot of good people on her side," Zinke said. "I want to sit down with her over coffee and discuss where we have common ground on this very difficult issue. Few people running for office have the conviction that Suzanne does, and I respect her for it."